Darcy Lewis vs the Multi-Verse
by melissawtf
Summary: Darcy Lewis takes on the world! (Or you know, the one where fandoms collide and Darcy is present, and/or secretly related to someone else from another fandom).
1. The Walking Dead

**Author's Note: I really need to stop starting new fics/ficlets, but these ideas won't leave me alone. Arghhh! However, these CROSSOVER ONE-SHOTS** **will not** **be a regular thing.** **Yes, I do have several ideas for these ficlets (** **each ficlet will most likely be centered around Darcy Lewis)** **, but these will only be written when struck by the sudden inspiration to do so because my main focus will be elsewhere. But as you can see, my attention wandered so I give you the first ficlet in 'Darcy vs. the Multi-Verse'.**

* * *

Darcy trudges forward with a huff, a case of water in her arms weighing her down before she comes to a stop and sets it down in the middle of the road. Straightening up, she takes out a pen and a pad of post-its from her jacket pocket, and scribbles out a quick note.

 _From a friend. -D_

She squats, slaps the note atop the case and stands once more. Job done, she turns back around and jogs about twenty yards away to an abandoned car and takes refuge behind it so those walking up the road behind her can't see her. She sits her ass on the heated asphalt, sighing out and glaring in the direction where she knows her back-up and transportation awaits.

Currently at the Tower, she is the only friendly face- a face which had yet to harden through the years of the undead eating the living- with just enough experience to go out recruiting. Jane's in Asgard, Natasha's too intimidating, and Pepper's been running on a short fuse the past couple of weeks. And the other females, well they're too civilian for the job. So here Darcy sits under the blazing sun and in the suffocating humidity as she waits for the next batch of survivors to show up.

As Darcy waits, she grumbles some and pushes the sleeves of her jacket up to her elbows before ripping off a hair-tie from her wrist. She quickly finger-combs her hair and pulls it over her left shoulder to sloppily braid it, she then sighing and leaning against the car at her back.

After what seems like an hour, Darcy finally hears voices. Some sound curious, others sound angry. And not wanting to be seen by peeking her head up, Darcy turns so she's on her knees and lays flat on her stomach to peer beneath the car at the group that she'd been sent to try and recruit.

It's a group of fifteen people- a group in which Heimdall sent word that they were _honest survivors_ and that they needed to be led to safety. So as the Avengers gathered and plotted, it was determined that Darcy would meet them face to face. There was the fear that harm could befall Darcy because even though these people were dubbed 'honest survivors', there was no telling to how they'd greet a suspicious newcomer. But seeing a chubby man with a mullet practically dive for one of the water bottles only to have it slapped out of his hand when he attempts a drink spurs Darcy into action without thinking. She sneers at their waste of clean water and pushes to her feet, she only making it six steps out before she's noticed and weapons are trained on her.

Darcy's hands immediately fly up in surrender, she rolling her eyes as part of the group advance in a rush. "Hold it right there," she calls out when they're less than five yards away. "I come in peace; I mean you no harm."

"Yeah? We'll be the judge of that," a man says. His Colt Python is gripped tight in hand though his aim is towards the road. "Who the hell are you?"

But instead of answering, Darcy's attention turns to the archer who's trying to come up on her right. "Seriously, you're close enough," she tells him and he stops in his tracks. "I'm here on friendly terms in hopes you'll hear what I have to say. If you like what you here, you'll have a brand new home within the hour. If not, I walk away and you never see me again." The group doesn't waver with their aim and Darcy sighs. "Jesus Christ, guys!" And then seeing the dark skinned Father, she sheepishly grins. "Sorry, Padre."

"Enough," Mr. Colt Python practically hisses. "Name. Now."

"Darcy," she immediately replies. "Darcy Lewis."

"What's your business with us, Darcy Lewis?"

"I'm looking for survivors," she says after a beat. Her fingers flex beside her head from where her hands are still up and she shifts her weight from foot to foot. "Survivors who haven't let the world compromise their morals too much to the point where there's no return for them. The good, honest survivors get pointed out to us, and we go an round them up to bring them to a safe-zone."

"Safe-zone?" A ginger-haired man perks up, but Mr. Colt Python seems to bristle at her words.

"Pointed out to you? How the hell are survivors _pointed out to you_? You spyin' on us?"

Darcy gulps when that seems to make others bristle, and she shakes her head. "Not really. It's just- my people-"

"You are or you ain't," the archer grunts. "Which is it?"

Darcy's gaze darts between Mr. Colt Python and the archer, she mentally kicking herself for outing herself early on. "Oh, screw it," she says. Her hands fall to her sides before she slowly lifts them to plant them on her hips, and blurts the truth right at them. "Manhattan's the safe-zone. It's been quarantined off by the Avengers and a few other enhanced superheros that stuck around. I'm the only friendly face around with enough experience on the outside which is why I'm on recruitment duty."

"Superheroes?" The ginger-haired man scoffs. "You telling us you bunkin' with a bunch of superheroes and they send you on the dangerous missions of recruitin?"

"Well, I didn't say I came alone." Once again, the group tenses and Darcy mentally curses herself. "Yes, I have back-up and no they won't show themselves," she says before any demands can be made. "Like I said, friendly terms. If you don't wanna come back with me then we can all walk away without ever seeing each other again."

Mr. Colt Python doesn't look too happy about that, but instead he's focused on something else. "How did you know to come after us? That we aren't too compromised?"

Darcy finally flashes them a smile- a slow one at that. "Avengers, dude. Thor's my bro. Anyone familiar with Norse Mythology?" Mullet Man raises his hand and a few others reluctantly nod. "Then I'm sure you all know about Heimdall."

"Heimdall? What the hell is that?" The archer spits.

"He's the Guardian of Asgard- Thor's home planet," a lanky teen replies, he adjusting a baby in his arms. His gaze darts from the archer and then back to Darcy. "All-Seeing and All-Hearing, right?"

"Got it in one, kid," she grins and shoots him a quick wink. "Since Thor's King of Asgard now and his lady love/future queen of Asgard is of Earth, Thor's been helping us mere humans out a lot," she confesses with a careless shrug. "He has Heimdall watching over Earth, seeking out the survivors who are still good at heart. He led us to you and I brought water as a peace offering, but apparently you rather waste clean water than drink it."

Everyone's seems speechless after Darcy's little explanation, some guns having lowered while others have been holstered.

"If Earth has help from the higher-ups, why has it taken years for you to find us?" And wow, Mr. Colt Python is very suspicious.

"You don't know?" Darcy asks and then rolls her eyes at her own stupidity. "Of course you don't know," she sighs.

"Don't know what?"

Darcy meets the curly-haired man's gaze, she wondering what he looks like beneath the wild salt-n-pepper beard he's sporting. "Out of the billions of people of Earth, only a handful of thousands have survived. And out of thousands, only so many kept their wits about him and didn't turn into cannibals or scavenging killers." Again, people are struck speechless.. ( _though could they be considered speechless since only Mr. Colt Python is doing a majority of the talking?_ ). "We started out over seas, picking up the good people who were willing to give us a chance and brought them to Manhattan."

"Overseas?" A dreadlocked woman asks. "You have fuel for such trips?"

"Lady, we have resources like you wouldn't believe all thanks to Tony Stark and that brilliant mind of his. Though if you decide to come back with me, don't tell him I said that. His ego is big enough."

"T-Tony Stark?" the teen stammers- though this teen is dark-skinned and his eyes are round with awe. "We'll actually get to meet Iron Man?"

Darcy smiles again. "Yeah. When we started transferring people to the safe-zone, we put them in buildings surrounding Stark Tower. But now that the city is pretty much full, you all will come back to the Tower. We started filling the tower only a week ago so there will be other civilians there besides you all."

Looks of disbelief is plain on the faces of the group, and Darcy waits patiently. Then after a few minutes of the group whispering among themselves, Mr. Colt Python gives her his attention once more.

"Say we believe you and makes ourselves at home with your people. Do we have to earn our keep? Will we be able to leave the tower if it gets too.. stuffy?"

"If leaving is what you want, you're free to do it. But you don't have to earn your keep or anything. If you want, you can laze around and enjoy the perks of being normal again. But if you wanna work, you can work. Hawkeye has a very secluded and very secure farm that we use for planting crops and raising some animals, but we mostly get our food from Asgard who sends down a big heap of goods every couple of months. We have a Science Division that's working on an Immunization shot against whatever the hell this disease is so if you get bit or die of natural causes, you won't turn, so if you got any smart-asses in your ranks, you'll fit right in. And not only that, but I'm sure some of you can worm your way into rotation for supply runs- supplies in which the great Tony Stark can't make."

There are a few hopeful expressions, but they obviously need a quick discussion privately. Darcy lets them have their moment and then when a few suspicious glances turn her way, she's ready for whatever they throw at her.

"Ain't gonna lie," the burly ginger-haired man huffs. "-you paint a pretty picture. But how do we know you ain't pullin' our chain about these superheroes and the safety they provide?"

Smirking, Darcy starts taking slow steps backwards. With one hand sliding into the back of her jean's pocket, she uses the other to bring up to her mouth and shoves two fingers in her mouth to blow a sharp whistle. "I guess you'll just have to show an ounce of trust for the half hour ride it'll take to get back to the tower."

Mr. Colt Python starts raising his weapon once more- as does the archer- but then Darcy's cackling as she sees them all freeze, they're gazes sliding from her and up to the now disillusioned quinjet that's at her back. She can hear the gears of the jet working as the ramp lowers and she peers over her shoulder just as two men stomp down and meet her on the asphalt. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Hawkeye and Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes."

"Holy shit!" Several voices announce.

 **xXx**

In the back of the quinjet, tension is running high. However, this tension is not the type to start a fight, but rather it's building because everyone's anxious to have actual safety. Since no one had been too talkative other than properly introducing themselves, Darcy had babbled on and on about the perks of Stark Tower, especially about the game systems and humongous flat screen TVs that seemed to appeal to the two teenagers. And when the Tower finally comes into view, there is no stopping Rick, Daryl, or Abraham who stand behind the cockpit to peer out the windshield.

There's a small welcoming committee composed of Steve, Tony and Pepper, and the others are struck dumb once again at the sight of Captain America.

"Welcome, welcome," Tony dramatically greets them with a mock bow when they finally step down the ramp on onto the landing pad. "My _brilliant mind_ and I welcome you to my humble abode."

Darcy groans and reaches into her back pocket, pulling free a rectangular device. "You hacked my phone?!"

"Of course I did."

"Wait, phone?" Maggie says in awe as Darcy grumbles about crossing boundaries again. "You have working telephones?"

"Stark Phones, actually," Tony smirks at her. "Having your own power source has its perks and I've been supplying anyone and everyone in the city with a phone."

"Yes," Pepper steps in politely. "-and when you're all settled in, you'll each get your personal cellular device again."

"But what exactly do we need phones for?" Sasha wonders. "I mean, we're all staying in the tower, right? Or are you splitting us up?"

"No, no," Pepper quickly interjects when a few people tense. "Each residential floor of the tower has four living quarters- each equipped with two bedrooms, an office, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Since you're a big group, you'll get your own floor and can split up however you decide."

"And we're really not expected to do anything except sit on our asses?" Daryl's eyes narrow suspiciously.

"You can work or you can relax," Steve nods. "The only people who live in the tower are people who work for what they have, but your group and a few others lucked out. The city ran out of livable space so we started bringing survivors here. Having a job is up to you and no one is going to force you to do anything or hand out ultimatums."

The group of survivors glance at one another, and then Maggie is sheepishly raising her hand. "My daddy used to make me work on a farm. Darcy mentioned a farm and some animals, so if you need help with that-"

"Score!" Clint fist-pumps. "I have this one mare who's an absolute nightmare. Please tell me you can work with horses?"

Brief amusement flashes quickly over Glenn and Maggie's faces, and Maggie nods. "Horses are easy."

"Good. The next trip out isn't for another few days, so rest up and whoever wants to work on the farm can tag along."

"Will we be- will be staying on the farm if we decide to work there?" Glenn asks.

"Nah," Clint shakes his head. "The longest I stay on the farm is two days at a time- one day to tend to the crops and the other to tend to the animals before heading back here to the tower. I have a four bedroom home there, but I don't stay away from the tower longer than I have to."

"Well then it's settled. I'd like to work on the farm," Maggie says.

"A lot of us are good at scavenging supplies," Rick tells Steve, voice gruff and determined. "So if it's not too much trouble, we'd like to help hunt down whatever supplies you don't have."

"That's good," Steve agrees. "Our scavenging groups are made up mostly of enhanced individuals, but if you're as good as Heimdall has said, I'd like to keep our enhanced protecting home instead out being out in the open. However, some enhanced like myself, Bucky, and Natasha will be remaining on those scavenging trips."

For the first time since being picked up, Rick smiles. "Well alright then." Glancing around at his group, he nods. "I guess this is home."


	2. Blindspot

**Darcy Lewis.. or is it Shaw?**

At the age of twenty-nine, Darcy Lewis is quite happy with her life and job at Stark Tower. There had a been a bunch of ups and downs in order to get where she currently is, but Darcy would not change it for anything in the world. From dropping out of college after the Thor vs. The Destroyer incident to following Dr. Foster around the world and finding herself in yet another world changing event, Darcy sought to get back into college and do something with her life that would aide the Avengers when the world thought them the villains.

Surprisingly, Jane took the job that Tony Stark offered her because he just needed Dr. Foster within walking distance, and Jane only agreed to go if she could keep on her intern. Stark immediately agreed, but Darcy was hesitant because she did want to continue and finish college. Jane, of course, was shocked and saddened because she and Darcy had become close, and Tony took that opportunity to casually throw in that he could have Darcy transferred closer to the Tower so she'd be able to go to school and have a paid part-time job at Stark Industries as a scientist wrangler. Darcy agreed because that was an opportunity she couldn't pass up and her life became even more interesting.

Juggling school, homework, studying for exams, and three scientists was actually harder than Darcy thought. However, when exams were near, Tony took it easy on her to keep her from having too many mental breakdowns. Jane was easy because Darcy was use to her habits and Bruce was the easiest because he actually knew when to take himself out of the labs for food and sleep. Although with a paycheck adding up in her bank account and having a rent-free place at Stark Tower, Darcy couldn't complain too much.

Befriending the Avengers had been quite easily even though Darcy hadn't sought them out to do so. She'd been too focused on her school work and feeding her scientists that she didn't fangirl when an Avenger or two popped up and made polite conversation with her. She saw them as normal folk when they strolled into the room in civilian clothing, though she did get giddy whenever she saw them suited up and prepared to save the world.

She finished college and since she was on such a good footing with all the Avengers, Pepper made her their PR manager. And not only that, SHIELD's new Director finally made himself known and after a great big argument and lots of tears and yelling, the Director asked Miss Lewis to be the liaison between the Avengers and SHIELD.

Life was good, but definitely not easy- we're looking at you Steve and Tony for pitting everyone against one another- but problems were solved and Darcy soon found it easy to breathe again during team bonding nights that were suddenly mandatory once again especially since Steve brought James "Bucky" Barnes to live at the tower with them.

Not being stupid, Darcy took everyone's caution to heart about being cautious around Bucky. She kept her distance, but since they lived in the same building it was only a matter of time before she ran into him. And run into him she did.

Over and over again she offered him kind smiles and pleasant greetings, but she never lingered. And apparently once Bucky was clear-minded enough, Darcy found the man absolutely attractive and couldn't find it in herself to put a stop to his charming ways. Of course, it also didn't help that she flirted right back and all her friends groaned and dished out money to Natasha and Jane who had figured it was only a matter of time that those two got together.

* * *

"Goddammit, Barton! That was my pot of coffee!"

"It's two in the afternoon. What do you need it for?"

"What do _you_ need it for?!" Darcy grabs up the rarely used wooden broom from the pantry, she then marching over to the middle of the kitchen and slamming the rounded broom handle against the ceiling where she knows Clint's lounging and drinking the stolen goods in the vent.

"Need a hand, doll?"

"Yes," she grumbles.

Darcy turns in time to see Steve take a seat on a stool by the island counter as Bucky approaches her and presses a kiss to her temple. He practically leaps up on the counter and tears the vent cover open, he then reaching in with his cybernetic arm. When Darcy hears a yelp from inside the ceiling, she smiles triumphantly and puts away the broom in it's rightful place.

Clint falls gracelessly to the floor and grunts in pain, and Bucky miraculously saves the coffee pot even though the coffee is all missing. "What the fuck, Barnes?" The arches groans.

"You shouldn't have taken the lady's coffee."

"She'd already had two mugs. I was just saving her from the inevitable sugar rush later."

Bucky looks to Darcy and she huffs while rolling her eyes. "You're such a tattle tale," she glowers down at Clint who's only now getting to his feet.

"Takes one to know one, Darcy-Lou. That's what you get for siccing your boy-toy on me."

This time it's Bucky's turn to glower and Darcy's lips twitch in amusement. She hops over to Clint and nudges his hip with her own, she then continuing on to the refrigerator and starts pulling stuff out for some sandwiches.

Bucky, Steve, and Clint sit around the island counter as Darcy makes the four of them sandwiches. She's in the middle of pulling out pickle spears from a jar when her cell phone rings, she grinning and tossing a pickle at Clint for the hell of it. As the archer squawks because he hadn't been paying her any attention, Darcy laughs and dries off her hands before reaching into her back pocket for her phone.

Seeing the familiar name and face on her screen, she grins and answers it. "Well if it isn't Mr. FBI himself. How's it going, Weller?"

The three Avengers all tense at the word FBI, all three gazes turning curious as to why Darcy's talking to an agent. As she remains quiet and listens to whatever is being told to her, her smile slowly falls and her face pales. Bucky's immediately out of his seat and rushing to her side, but Darcy turns away from him when he makes a grab at her phone.

"What- what do you mean she's alive?" Her shaky question again makes everyone freeze and she has to rely on Bucky for support when her knees shake. "You're c-coming here? The both of you?" She falls silent as this agent Weller most likely speaks and Darcy's eyes fill with tears. "What happened to her, Kurt?" The tears finally fall and her voice cracks, and she has to choke back a sob that finally escapes from the back of her throat. "Mhm, yeah. C-come to Stark Tower. I can- Tony will- just come," she gulps. "I'll be here."

Darcy bids the agent goodbye before pocketing her phone, her knees finally giving out on her and prompting Bucky to scoop her up. As sobs wrack her body and she mumbles about an older sister, Bucky and Steve are confused because they never heard anything about a sister before, but Clint silently curses. The two super soldiers then demand an answer, but Clint holds his hands up and tells him that it's not his story to tell and it'd be best until Darcy calms down.

 **xXx**

With Darcy's new family gathered around the Common Room sans Thor and Jane who just happen to be on Asgard at the moment, Darcy tells them of her past once she's calmed down enough.

"Okay, so show of hands," Darcy sniffles. "Who all has looked into my file?" Three hands go up- Natasha, Clint, and Tony. "Okay. Who all looked deep enough into my past that they saw my last name was originally Shaw?" Two hands remain- Natasha and Clint.

Darcy's hands wring together and her eyes once again fill with tears. "I- My name was Darcy Shaw until I was six years old," she confides to them. As her voice shakes, Bucky reaches for her hands and pulls them apart only to grasp one of hers within his own hands. "When I was four, my older sister by only a year was abducted when we were sleeping over at our friend's house. Her- her disappearance blew up, especially when Kurt- he and his sister were our best friends- said he saw his own father leading my sister from the room. Mr. Weller was the only suspect the police had, but Mr. Weller had an alibi and he was let go. My mother couldn't handle the constant reporters or the fact that Mrs. Weller was so wracked with guilt because they both still believed Mr. Weller had done it.

"When they declared my sister dead and the reporters were back full force, my mother moved us and remarried, and we both took the name 'Lewis' to get away from everything related to 'Shaw'."

"What does this have to do with why you're so distraught?" Natasha then wonders softly. "Did they find her body?"

Darcy chokes back a sob and gets herself under control, she shaking her head. "Kurt called me earlier. Taylor's alive. He- he wouldn't give me all the details, but he said her memories are all skewed. She didn't remember anything about herself, so she's been calling herself 'Jane Doe'. It was only until a week ago that she asked who 'Darcy' was and Kurt explained that she had a little sister. He said everything would be better explained face to face."

"Oh, honey," Pepper coos sadly. "Is there anything we can do?"

Darcy shakes her head. "No. Well, actually, maybe," she mumbles. "Kurt and Taylor are on their way here and I could really use the support. My apartment's too small, so would it be too much trouble to have the reunion here?"

"Whatever you need, Darcy-Lou," Tony solemnly tells her. The nickname is usually said in a teasing manner, but the way it falls from his lips is anything but.

Darcy smiles gratefully at him, wiping away tears and meeting everyone's gaze so they know that she's grateful for them as well. Bucky squeezes her hand a little tighter to let her know he's not going anywhere, and Darcy breathes a little easier as she leans against his side and rests her head against his shoulder.

After twenty-five years, she was finally reuniting with her sister.

 **xXx**

When FRIDAY alerts Darcy that she has guests in the lobby, Tony immediately calls out for them to be sent on up to the Common Room floor. Darcy's immediately on her feet, she pacing and babbling whether or not she should wait by the elevator and whether or not it's okay to hug her sister. Clint stops her pacing before leading her back to the couches, and Bucky reaches for her hand and drags her down until she's perched on his lap.

"If her memory isn't all there, it's better to let her come to you. Don't rush into anything." And yeah, Darcy will definitely listen to Bucky because if anyone knows how her sister is feeling, it's him. "It'll be okay, Darcy-Lou. Breathe."

Pepper, Bruce and Natasha are busy setting up a spread of snacks and drinks, Clint and Tony are the one's actually waiting by the elevator to greet the newcomers, and Steve is sitting a couch cushion away from his two best friends- one who is mumbling sweet nothings into the ear of the other.

When the elevator dings and opens, Darcy's breath hitches and Bucky's rubbing circles along her back in order to be soothing for her. She can hear Tony greeting the both of them and the rough voice of Kurt has her finally standing and turning slowly to give them her attention.

Kurt is the same height as Tony, but a few inches shorter than Clint. He has Clint's build but the dark brown locks she once remembered Kurt sporting have been cut very short and close to his head. The bottom half of his face is covered in dark scruff, the dent in his chin is still the same as well as the roundness of her friend's face. But it's the woman that brings tears once more to Darcy's eyes and sends her stumbling in their direction.

They both have the same pale complexion and her sister's once long hair has been cropped well above her chin. The sharp angular features and a gaze that shows she's seen far too much and been through too much nearly makes Darcy flinch.

She comes to a stop in front of her sister, the both of them just staring at one another before letting their gazes wander to drink in as much as they can about each other. The room falls quiet and when the sister's meet each other's gaze once more, Taylor's head tilts to the side and her eyes blink rapidly for a few seconds as if she's just remembering something.

"Your eyes," Taylor then says, shattering the silence. "I think I remember them." Her brows pull together as she pieces together whatever memory's just surfaced. "Such roundness and false innocence for a scrappy little thing. Especially when- especially when you jutted out that bottom lip of yours."

A sob escapes Darcy then, a smile blossoming seconds later and Kurt chuckles. Despite what Bucky told her, Darcy practically throws herself into Taylor's arms when her sister's eyes tear up and her lips twitch in amusement. Despite the small acknowledgement, it takes Taylor a few moments to wrap her arms around Darcy and let the tension drain from her being so she can sink into the feeling of hugging an actual family member.

When Darcy's had her fill, she pulls back and then glances at Kurt who's smiling broadly at her. "Mr. FBI," she gives a watery chuckle. "Long time no see."

"Little Bird," Kurt says in return. Darcy reluctantly moves from her sister's hold and into Kurt's arms, she giving him a welcoming hug. "It's good to see you doing well."

As Darcy takes a step back, she takes a deep breath and wipes the tears from her face with a chuckle. "Okay, so introductions are in order. Guys," she calls out, turning to face the rest of the room's occupants. "-this is Kurt Weller of the FBI and.. my sister Taylor Shaw."

Taylor slightly flinches and she sheepishly grins at Darcy. "I, uh, actually go by Jane now."

"Oh."

Seeing Darcy's smile falter, 'Jane' backpedals some. "But you can call me Taylor if you want."

"No.. no. I want you to be comfortable," Darcy grins. "So if Jane is what you prefer, then Jane you shall be."

"Yeah!" Tony agrees. "Foster can suck it!"

Darcy rolls her eyes, but the snort lets Kurt and 'Jane' know she's amused by the man's words. "Alright, so Kurt, I'm sure you know who everyone in this room is without introductions."

"Uh, yeah," he gives a short nervous laugh. "The Avengers and the most powerful CEO. Kind of hard not to know who's who when they're constantly making the headlines."

"Right you are. Jane," she then glances at her sister. "-I'd like you to meet, well I mean no offense by this, but uh.. I'd like you meet my family." She then goes one by one, introducing her sister to the Avengers and Pepper, and blushing bright red when she gets to Bucky and Clint outs them as being a couple.

'Jane' and Kurt merely stare at Bucky with identical raised eyebrows, and Darcy groans before gesturing everyone towards the couches.

"So, superheroes?" Jane mutters on their short walk. "You're dating a superhero?"

"Oh like you're one to talk," Darcy huffs. "I see the way Kurt hovers. You're totally boning our childhood BFF." Steve and Bucky both snort, "Jane' gapes but surprisingly laughs as Darcy grumbles, "Goddamn super soldiers and their enhanced hearing."

Once everyone's seated, beer and wine are passed around since everyone passes on the snacks (everyone except for Clint who's sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bowl of popcorn) , and 'Jane' moves to peel off her jacket. She's wearing a plain gray tee beneath and when Darcy sees all the ink marring her sister's skin, she frowns.

"What's with all the ink?"

"That's, uh, that's part of my disappearance story," Jane tells her as she folds her jacket down in her lap. Her gaze darts to every face in the room, she then clearing her throat. "But that's a story for another-"

"Jane," Darcy cuts her off with a small friendly smile. "They're family. They're going to find out either way."

"It's not that," she readily answers. "It's just.. it's just I wasn't a good person while I was gone."

"And that's fine," Darcy assures her. "This is a no judge zone. I'm sure whatever you've been through, someone's had a similar experience or worse. You can talk freely here."

There are murmurs of agreement from everyone sitting around, and then Kurt's reaching over and grasping one of Jane's hand to ground her. Jane flashes everyone a shaky smile and after taking a deep breath, she explains.

"When I- when I was taken, I was sold to the Russians along with a room full of other kidnapped children." Everyone's facial expression turn icy and Jane gulps at the sudden hostility that's practically emanating from them. "We were a bunch of American children being trained in all sorts of fighting styles and weapons. They led us to believe that the US government was corrupt and used us to get in to take it down. Apparently.. apparently I," she pauses again and Kurt murmurs words of encouragement. "I was the one who let them erase my memory and tattoo my entire body. The deeper I got in the FBI though, the more I realized that the team I was assigned to were good people and that they didn't know about any corruption."

"Her tattoos are clues," Kurt suddenly says and everyone stares at Jane in an entirely new light. "While they did lead us to some corrupt individuals within our government, they're also leading us to terrorist plots that would result in thousands of death had it not been for Jane."

"I think I was a bad person before." Jane's gaze is downcast now, voice low. "Some memories are only little snippets, but I'm not doing good things in them. I- I eventually came clean to Kurt and Director Mayfair because I didn't want to betray them anymore than I already thought I had, and the two of them have been helping me find out more about where I was and what I did."

"Well, that's good, right?" Darcy blurts. At Kurt's nod, Darcy grins. "Then why the long face?" Startled, Jane looks to her little sister only to find her smiling. "Your story sounds very similar." Clint snorts, and Natasha and Bucky smirk. "I live with a man who invented a murder-bot that nearly destroyed the planet-"

"Hey! I apologized for that," Tony sniffs.

"Mhm. Not the point," Darcy distractedly waves him off. "And I also live with three ex-assassins, two of which were trained by the Russians. So really, sis, you have nothing to worry about. If the world can look at these individuals and call them Avengers, then you can look your sister in the eyes and know she doesn't think any differently of you. You got dealt a shit hand. What matters now is what you're doing to wipe out the red from your ledger."

Jane eventually smiles, eyes crinkling in the corner as she suppresses a small laugh. Shaking her head, she sighs out- a little in disbelief- and glances all around the place. "So.. superheroes." Her gaze lands on Darcy, changing the subject for now. "How did my little sister end up in such a place?"

"Well," Darcy grins and there's a collective of groans from Tony, Clint, and Steve. "It all started when I tazed Thor."

* * *

 **Timelines and ages will be skewed, so just go along with it ;) And in case you haven't caught on, each chapter will be a new fandom!**


	3. The Vampire Diaries

"We have a problem." Damon sinks into the booth that Elena, Caroline, and Stefan are sharing down at Mystic Grill, he immediately downing the tumbler of amber liquid he had in hand. "Guess who I heard is coming to town?"

Elena's brows instantly pull together when she sees how distressed her boyfriend seems, Caroline rolls her eyes and continues popping fry after fry into her mouth, and Stefan casually sips his soda.

"Who?" Stefan finally asks when Damon doesn't budge.

"Katherine's little prodigy."

The younger Salvatore freezes when he realizes just who his brother is talking about and Elena tenses at the mention of Katherine.

"Uh, who?" Caroline frowns.

"Darcelyn Louise," Damon drawls. "Katherine's first vampire and the only person that manipulative little _witch_ actually cared about," he says with a sneer. "She took to the vampire lifestyle just as Katherine did. Her death toll is just as high, her bitchiness can rival Katherine's, and she's trouble."

"Especially if she comes here and finds out we were the cause of her maker's death," Stefan finally says.

"Well, crap," Caroline sighs. "Can't we just have one day where we don't have to worry about the next villain coming to town?"

* * *

"Steve," Darcy groans. "How many times do I need to tell you? I don't need a bodyguard! I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

"I know you are. _We_ know you are," he chuckles and continues on his way onto the small jet Tony let Darcy borrow. "But from the intel we've gathered, they got four vampires, a witch, a werewolf that's known to pop up every now and then, and the town's Sheriff is the mother to one of the vampires. You need the backup even if it's just me." Darcy actually stomps her foot and plops down on the leather sofa, and Steve outright laughs at her pout. For being over five hundred years old, Darcy sure didn't act like it. "So such it up, sweetheart, and settle in. The ride shouldn't be too long."

She rolls her eyes, but concedes and relaxes against the sofa's cushions.

While coming clean to the Avengers about her blood-sucking tendencies was the last thing Darcy had wanted to do, she knew that this secret was better out in the open before she started cementing friendships with them. Jane and Thor had had her back from the very beginning, Darcy having come clean after Jane did well with all the weird Thor had brought with him. Although her secret hadn't been as easy to swallow as Thor's Asgardian title had been, Jane listened as Darcy came clean about her blood-soaked past and how she'd been on the straight and narrow for quite some time. And seeing the sincerity in her friend's eyes, Jane gave their friendship another try. Thor had just laughed and accepted Darcy for who and what she was.

The rest of the Avengers, however, took a little while longer to come around. Everyone had been wary when they found out about Darcy's little compulsion trick, but eased up some when she told them of vervain and that she could have some delivered from some of her old connections if it made them feel safer. And the more everyone saw how at ease Jane and Thor were around Darcy, the more everyone else started to come around.

Bruce and Tony were first, the both of them more than intrigued to learn of vampires existing, and what their strengths and weaknesses were. Steve and Pepper were next, the both of them easing up as they realized that Darcy really took to being a _college student_ and hardly acted her true age or showed off with her abilities. And finally Natasha and Clint eased up at last, only after Natasha had demanded that Darcy spar with her without holding back.

Needless to say, watching the Black Widow hold her own against a vampire such as Darcy's age gave Clint some hope that he could hold his own against Darcy should she flip her humanity switch- something in which Darcy warned them all about before telling them all vampire weaknesses should they ever need to take her out. And hearing that- hearing how a vampire laid everything on the line and told them she wouldn't hold it against them should it come down to them using that particular knowledge against her- really cemented Clint's choice in giving Darcy a chance.

From then on, the Avengers really took to having Darcy around them- even going as far as having some things made/altered for her benefit like the synthetic blood Dr. Cho made just for her so she didn't have to tap a vein or steal from hospitals- and Darcy really enjoyed being the ace up the Avengers' sleeve whenever a threat decided to attack the tower.

"So tell me again why we're looking for this Katherine lady? From the stories you've told, she seems like bad news."

"And she is!" Darcy laughs, her eyes fluttering open and clearing her head of the memories she had been shuffling through. "But.. Katherine's my maker. It's.. it's hard to explain," she finally shrugs. "I just want to check in with her and that's it. It's not like I'm asking to be her sidekick or asking her to come home with me. I just- I just need to see why she hasn't checked in with me. It's not like her."

"Okay.. okay," Steve smiles kindly. "Say no more. Now get some rest. We'll be landing just outside of Mystic Falls in no time."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

 **xXx**

By the time Darcy and Steve make it to Mystic Falls, it's dark out. Steve drives them to the center of the town, parks, and the two get out to wander around on foot.

"This place sure has changed a lot," Darcy muses. "Looks and smells a lot better than the last time I was here."

"Yeah?" Steve laughs. "Weren't horse carriages a thing when you were here?"

"Yep."

Darcy's hands find their way into the back pockets of her jean shorts, her boots thumping along the concrete sidewalks and asphalt streets of the little town she once visited long ago. A maroon plaid shirt is loosely buttoned over a tank top with the printed picture of skeletal ribs, but given her creature of the night status, the chilly night air does nothing to her.

"Was this place always this quiet?" Steve then mutters. "You'd think for a Friday night that people would be out and about."

"Yeah," she mumbles, eyes scanning the oddly empty town. "-something's off."

They're coming into what appears to be the center point of the town- town square- and Darcy walks ahead a few steps. As she slowly turns around and casts a wary glance all over the place, a pain suddenly explodes behind her eyes.

Darcy's mouth opens in a mute shout, her hands flying up to the sides of her head as she grips at her hair. Voice then working, her scream of distress and unbelievable pain alerts Steve that something's wrong.

"Darce?"

"S-steve. Something.. s-someone.."

A dark-skinned woman steps out from the shadows, eyes cold and hard as she stares at Darcy. One hand is outstretched and she's chanting in a different language quite angrily. Darcy cries out again, succumbing to the pain and falling to one knee. Steve is suddenly filled with a rage that's directed at the dark-skinned woman, his mind making him falter in his steps as he strides towards the woman hurting his friend.

 _Is he really thinking about putting his hands on a female?_ Yes, yes he is. Especially when Darcy's pain echoes around the night air.

"Miss," he says, grasping the strange woman's forearm and breaking her concentration. "Just don't." Seeing her face up close and personal, Steve's mind easily fills in that this woman is Bonnie Bennett- the witch. She blinks in surprise at being addressed, probably more so at being stopped from hurting Darcy, and then her gaze goes hard and steely once more. "We're not here for you," he tells her.

Bonnie loses some of the heat in her glare, but before she can say anything there's another presence beside them. A too tight grip for a human grasps Steve arm- the arm which is attached to Bonnie- and squeezes threateningly while tutting at him mockingly. "Hands off the witch."

Briefly glancing to his left, Steve finds the vampire known as Damon Salvatore smirking all too kindly at him. Sudden laughter has everyone glancing down at Darcy- Darcy who's sniffling and wiping blood from her nose while looking up at three of them through her lashes. "Hey, Salvatore," she drawls. "-hands off the national icon before he punches your teeth in."

The dark-haired vampire scoffs, but then grunts in pain when he suddenly finds a fist connecting with his mouth. He actually goes flying back a few feet, giving Bonnie enough wits about her to scramble back from both Darcy and Steve in shock.

"Like I said," Steve huffs and directs his gaze to Bonnie. "We're not here for you or him, but that doesn't mean we won't protect ourselves if you get in our way again."

Steve turns then, offering Darcy a hand up, and when the both of them are on their feet and facing both Damon and Bonnie, they find that there are three more vampires standing before them- Stefan, Elena, and Caroline.

"Is that a threat?" The brunette asks and Darcy settles her gaze on her, smirking slowly.

"It can be," she chuckles. "Listen, Elena, is it? I don't care about you or your little friends. I'm just looking for Katherine."

"You and everyone else," Stefan says then, arms crossing over his chest. "What do you want with her? More importantly, since when do you compel superheroes to do your bidding?"

"Excuse me?" Darcy scoffs, eyes narrowing dangerously. Everyone looks at Steve and he rolls his eyes while clamping a hand down on Darcy's shoulder when she takes a step towards Stefan in anger. "I don't know about you, Salvatore, but I'm not that same person you met all those years ago. I've changed. Can you say the same for yourself?"

Stefan bristles, but it's Elena who answers. "Of course, he's changed! He's not a mindless a killer. Not like you or Katherine."

Darcy tenses, her gaze then travelling to Elena before she breaks out into a grin. "Is that what they told you? That I'm Katherine's little follower?" Elena's expression falters and Darcy takes her chance by letting some hostility drain from her gaze. "Look, I get it, okay? Katherine's a shit person who's done some shitty things and probably continues to do it. But Katherine's my maker. We went our separate ways long ago and only keep in contact every year or so. I haven't heard from her and this is the last place I heard she visited. I just want to know her location and then I'll be out of your hair."

Someone scoffs and it doesn't take long to pinpoint Damon as the source. "Right." He drawls. "Like you're not gonna kill us if you hear an answer you don't like."

"Uh, dude," Darcy drawls mockingly, waving distractedly at Steve. "Captain America frowns upon killing. I don't know about you, but I rather not see the _Captain America is Disappointed In You_ eyes. It's really disheartening."

"Well excuse me if I don't trust you," he sneers. "I know you, Darcelyn. I know what you're capable of."

"And I know you, Damon," she sneers right back, finally having enough of his shit attitude when she's obviously come in peace. "Tell me, are you still raping women?"

"Hey!" Elena barks at her, but the blonde- Caroline- flinches at Darcy's words.

"Are you still tampering with people's minds without their consent? Huh? Or what about you, Stefan," she then turns her attention to his brother. "Last I heard they called you _The Ripper of_ _Monterrey_. Why should I trust you? What's to keep Captain America from calling in the rest of the Avengers? I changed a long time ago, boys, and have sided with some of the best people this world has to offer. If anyone is the bad guy here, it's you all for attacking us when all we wanted was to talk."

Darcy's spitting mad at the end of her little speech, eyes blood red and black veins slithering beneath her eyes. Even her fangs have elongated in her anger and Steve's hand grasping her own is the only thing keeping her from lunging at either Salvatore brothers and Katherine's little doppelganger.

"All you want is her whereabouts?" The blonde meekly asks and Darcy blinks away her vampire visage with a sigh of relief. "And then you'll leave our home?"

"Yes. That's all I want."

"She's in the woods. Buried with her daughter," Caroline blurts out the truth much to everyone else's squawks of disbelief. "We had no other choice but to kill her. I'm sorry."

Everyone tenses, waiting for Darcy's no doubt angry reaction, but they're all struck dumb when the girl in plaid snorts. "Figures," she shakes her head. "I always told Katherine her bullshit was going to pile up and bite her in the ass one of these days." Steve's squeezing hand turns comforting and Darcy flashes him an easy grin.

"You're not- you're not mad?" Caroline frowns. "You're not gonna kill us because we killed her?"

"Caroline," Bonnie forces a smile. "Let it go," she sing-songs. "Don't anger the vampire who's older than all of us."

Again, Darcy snorts. "It's okay. I know- I knew how Katherine was and it was only a matter of time before she ended up in the ground for good. Now all I wanna know is, how the hell did you find out about Nadia? I mean, she barely wanted to tell me and she liked me. I can't picture Katherine willingly telling you about her daughter given how you obviously feel about her."

"She came to town looking for her mother much like you did," Stefan cautiously explains. "They caused too much trouble and we had to handle the situation before it got too out of control."

"Fair enough," she shrugs. Then glancing around the town square, Darcy finally lets her gaze settle back on Steve next to her. "Well, I guess this trip is already over. What do you say we grab a bite to eat then head home?"

"That's it?!" Damon suddenly explodes. "You find out we killed your maker and that's it? No fight? No ripping out of our hearts? Nothing?!" Darcy blinks owlishly at him and Damon calms enough to smirk lazily at her. "You really have changed, Darcelyn. You've gone soft."

She loses her deer in the headlights look and slowly takes a step forward. "The name's _Darcy_ ," she tells him. "And I am anything but weak. I just know when to pick my battles, moron."

"Mhm. Sure."

"Trust me," Steve then pipes up. "She can take down the Norse God of Thunder. Darcy is anything but weak and you'd do well to remember that, Mr. Salvatore."

Damon's smirk falters and Darcy takes yet another step forward. "I'm willing to let Katherine's death go because I knew this was inevitable," she tells him. "-but Mystic Falls will now be on our watch list. If any of you mess up, the Avengers will know about it and will have no problem taking out the enemy. But don't worry," Darcy assures Caroline and Bonnie as she glances at them. "-they have a place among them for assets such as yourself. I know when I'm truly hated or when someone's merely going off of what they heard about me. If you ever wanna truly be a good guy, look me up. Stark's tower is hard to miss."

With that, Darcy whirls around and gestures for Steve to follow. He lets Darcy pass him up, hesitating only a few moments to make sure no one lunged at Darcy when her back was turned. And when he's sure enough that no one's going to attempt any more harm on them, he mockingly salutes the gathered vampires and witch, and turns on his heel to catch up to his friend.

"Was it wise to threaten them?" He laughs lowly, shaking his head in disbelief.

Darcy barks out a laugh. "Probably not, but I am my maker's little prodigy. I have to strike fear in them somehow."


	4. Charmed

Darcy's in the labs with Jane, trying to force food upon the tiny astrophysicist, when FRIDAY pings them.

 _"Miss Lewis, it appears you have two visitors requesting your presence in the lobby."_

Both women freeze because Darcy never gets visitors and Darcy takes that moment to shove a piece of sandwich into Jane's gaping mouth. "FRIDAY, can you bring up a visual, please?"

A hologram flickers to life just to the right of Jane's dry erase board, and both women rush forward to see who it is. Squinting, Darcy can make out the elderly faces of two people she's hasn't seen in over six years and gasps.

"Is that..?" Jane mumbles and Darcy nods.

"Grams and Gramps."

Jane lights up. "Grams and Gramps!"

"Janie, no."

"Darcy, yes," the astrophysicist laughs. "Your grandparents are the cutest thing ever. I've only ever met them via facetime, so it's about time we meet in person."

"Yeah, but," she groans, her head tilting back. "You know my family," she frowns. "The Halliwell name is cursed."

"But you're a Lewis."

"Not by blood," she mumbles. "And besides," Darcy says. "-wherever Grams goes, trouble follows." Turning her attention towards the ceiling, Darcy calls out. "FRIDAY, is anyone on the Common Floor?"

 _"Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes are, Miss Lewis? Shall I request their assistance?"_

"No, we're good. The two old folk downstairs are my grandparents. Can you go ahead and beam them up to the Common Floor?"

It takes a few seconds, but FRIDAY eventually answers. _"Your request is acceptable."_

Jane's smile dims when Darcy meets her gaze once again, the scientist understanding why her assistant is resistant to a face to face with any of her family. "Well, let's go meet the fam."

Darcy had been born a Halliwell, but when her mother found out about her husband's magical abilities, her mother ran. Her mother called off her engagement to one Chris Halliwell and surprisingly gained full custody of their child after threatening to out the Halliwells and their abilities. Darcy's mother then remarried and changed both their last names, and Darcy only got to see her father's family when her own powers manifested and her mother didn't know how to deal with it. Chris then took Darcy in and introduced her to numerous cousins, aunts and uncles, and explained their family's magical legacy.

Being grandchildren to the Charmed Ones was a dangerous thing, and hunting demons and other various monsters got old pretty quickly. Of course, saying goodbye to her family and going off to college only brought a new source of magic into her life in the form of an alien God, and Darcy knew she couldn't ignore her magic for much longer. When the time then presented itself, Darcy sharpened her skills and potion making abilities when she had the chance, and had her cousins ship her various crystals to keep herself and Jane safe.

After the Dark Elves had attacked and Jane returned from her mini-vacation to Asgard, Darcy made the rather important decision to let her friend in on the Halliwell family secret. The two women had been through so much together and since Thor kept hinting to Jane that Tony Stark was looking to give her her own lab space along with housing for both she and her intern, Darcy didn't want to pass up the opportunity to live in Stark Tower. And if Darcy didn't plan on leaving Jane, she had to tell the petite woman her deepest secret in case worse came to worse and Darcy had to out herself.

Darcy then ended up waiting until she had finished up college and was promoted from unpaid intern to Stark Industries Scientist Wrangler, and the curvaceous brunette found herself finding a second family within the Tower. Jane surprisingly took the news well even after Darcy told her she could absolutely not run tests on her, and then vowed to always have Darcy's back when the young wrangler expressed her fears of the others thinking differently of her because they were so touchy around magic. And in the end, Darcy only told Jane and Pepper about her magic- Pepper because she's Darcy's boss and she wanted to be honest with the CEO.

The elevator dings, and Jane and Darcy casually step off the elevator and follow the not so quiet laughter. In the kitchen, Grams is cooing over Steve, and Bucky is off to the side with Gramps- the two men not bothering to hide their amusement at Steve's obvious discomfort.

"Grams!" Darcy snaps though there's no heat to it. "Stop molesting the national icon."

"Oh, hush," the white haired woman waves distractedly over her shoulder. "Let a old woman have a moment."

Darcy will swear on it that the older her grandparents got, the more her Grams let a little more loose.

"Piper," Gramps finally intervenes. "That's enough, sweetheart."

An equally white haired man steps forward to guide his wife away from Steve, and Steve slumps in relief. "Uh, Grams..?" He says, his questioning gaze landing on Darcy.

"Yeah. Steve, Bucky, meet my Grams and Gramps. Grams, Gramps, meet Steve, Bucky, and this is Jane."

Steve and Bucky smile respectively at the elder couple, shaking hands when Gramps steps back towards them. "You can call us Grams and Gramps as well or just Leo and Piper will do. We're not picky."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Jane gushes and rushes forward, not giving the soldiers a chance to reply.

Grams lights up at the sight of Jane, she ushering the younger woman into a welcoming embrace right before Gramps does the same. Darcy smiles at their interaction as she walks over to Steve and Bucky, she then leaning on the island counter with a sigh. "Not that I'm not happy to see you two, but what are you doing all the way over here in New York?"

"What?" Grams grins. "Can't we visit our grandchild without motive?"

"Well, yeah, but you never leave the Manor. When you or Auntie Paige or Auntie Phoebe step out of the comfort of your homes.. _stuff,_ " she says, putting emphasis on the word. "-happens."

"Nonsense, Darcy-Lou," Grams smiles and Bucky lights up at the nickname. Darcy scowls at him, flipping him off when he gets a teasing smile on his face and Darcy turns her attention back to Grams. "And besides, not that we don't love you, but it wasn't our idea to come out. That lovely lady friend of yours, Miss Potts, invited us out. We just got in a day earlier than expected."

Darcy snorts. "Pepper invited you? Of course she did. I was wondering why she kept pestering me about how long it'd been since I saw the two of you after our last phone call."

"Yes, well, she sounded like a marvelous woman," Gramps says. "Is she around?"

The elevator dings on cue and it's only a few seconds before Pepper makes her entrance. Introductions are made all over again, hugs are given, and then Pepper's not really apologizing for going behind Darcy's back to get her grandparents there. Darcy waves her off with a laugh, and then Pepper is leading Grams and Gramps to their own living quarters that they'll be staying in for the week.

* * *

During the week, Grams and Gramps are introduced to Tony, Wanda, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha. Vision is off with Thor on Asgard for the next couple of weeks and really, Darcy is grateful for that because the last thing she needed was Vision outing her Grams. Of course, there was always the scare that Vision could out herself, but after a stern talking to from Thor, Vision was learning to keep most things to himself unless he was absolutely sure there was a threat to the team.

Bruce had been immediately taken with the elderly couple, and more often than not Grams and Gramps could be found in the Common area playing Scrabble and drinking tea. Bruce joined them a lot of the time, and Darcy couldn't help but find that hilarious (especially when Tony pouted about losing his science bro).

However, during Grams and Gramps' stay, Darcy couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. It's a feeling she's used to, but it's also a feeling she's paying more attention to than normal since her grandparents are in the building. So when left alone, Darcy stocked up on explosive potions and handed them to Grams and Jane, and made them promise to keep them on hand at all times.

And sure enough, Darcy didn't have to wait long for that _feeling_ to actually become a problem.

 **xXx**

Everyone's surprisingly down on the Common Floor for lunch when Darcy's senses make her spine straighten and go stiff. And unless her eyes are deceiving her, Grams has recognized the impending danger as well.

Gramps immediately senses the change in his wife and granddaughter, and his easy going old man smile vanishes. One by one, others start sensing the change in the atmosphere as well.

"Janie," Darcy breathes, slowly stepping out of the kitchen as her eyes dart all around the place. "You still have those vials that I gave you?" Her hands find their way into the pockets of the sweater she's wearing, she gripping tight to a few vials of her own.

"Yeah," Jane squeaks. "Am I- do we need them?"

The rooms deathly quiet, the tension running high as Grams joins Darcy and the two women go back to back.

"Yes, you'll need them," Grams says seriously. "Protect Leo."

"What's going on?" Natasha asks, her hand itching for a blade in her boot when she realizes that Darcy and Grams are on edge.

But before Darcy can answer, two figures wielding crossbows appear in a swirl of black orbs. Grams' hands fly out in front of her, her fingers flexing at one _dark-lighter_ and blowing him up while Darcy throws a vial of potion at the other and blows him up as well.

Another dark-lighter behind both witchy women and Jane's shout of, "Hey!", distracts him just in time for the tiny astrophysicist to throw a vial of her own and watch as he disappears in a ball of flame.

"What the fuck!" Clint shouts.

Bucky, Natasha, and Tony are all armed- Bucky with a gun, Natasha with a blade, and Tony with a gauntlet from his suit wrapped around his hand.

"I'll explain later," Darcy shouts back. She and Grams are waiting for the next wave of dark-lighters when Steve's _don't turn green, don't turn green_ reaches her ears. And sure enough, when she glances over her shoulder, she can see Bruce hunched beside the kitchen island and looking a little green. "Shit," she mutters and then, "Hey, Bruce!" When the scientist manages to look up, she smiles sadly. "I apologize for this, but we really can't risk a code green right now."

Bruce looks dumbstruck for a split second and his eyes widen when he sees Darcy turn in his direction with determination etched into every feature. Her hands raise and just like her Grams, she flexes her fingers but instead of Bruce blowing up, he freezes.

"What the hell, Lewis?!" Tony's shrieking now, but a calming hand from Pepper and a quick whispered conversation seems to calm him down.

Three more masses of black swirling orbs appear and dread fills Darcy's stomach. Her gaze falls on the two small side tables in the sitting area where two glass bowls are filled with stones and crystals, and she knows what she has to do in order to protect her family and friends.

Looking at the gathered Avengers once more and watching as Bucky empties round after round into thin air, she frowns. "I'm sorry, but you all need to be safe." Then before anyone can protest, Darcy throws a hand out towards the glass bowls she had just been eyeing. "Crystals!" She yells and several crystals disappear in small masses of blue swirling orbs. "Circle!" She then directs her hand at her friends and watches triumphantly as the crystals form a protective shield around them.

Everyone seems to explode after that- at being kicked out of the fight- and it takes the combined forces of Gramps, Pepper, and Jane to stop the yelling as they explain a few things.

Turning her attention back to the fight, Darcy intercepts an arrow heading straight for her Grams. "Arrow!" The arrow orbs from mid-flight, she then glaring at the dark-lighter who dared shoot it. "Crossbow!" In a swirl of orbs, the crossbow disappears from the dark-lighter's hands and into Darcy's.

She shoots an arrow back at him and throws the crossbow down only to retrieve more potions from her pocket. Dark-lighter after dark-lighter appear, but Darcy and Grams take care of the problem with a bit of ease.

"Who are these assholes?" Tony finally yells again.

"Bad guys," Darcy shrugs. "Now shush."

"Behind you!"

Pepper's warning is a second too late and an arrow grazes Grams' left shoulder.

"No!" Darcy screams when her Grams yelps. She whirls around, flexing her fingers and blows up two dark-lighters back to back. In her rage, she misses the third one to her right and only realizes he's there when she feels an arrow sink into the side of her stomach. " _Oomph_."

"Darcy!"

She staggers back in shock and having hit their main target, the last remaining dark-lighters vanish into thin air with cruel smirks. As everyone yells and demands to be let out of whatever force field they're stuck behind, Darcy grimaces as she pulls on the arrow only to have Grams rush to her side and yank it out herself. Darcy screams out, and everyone again demands to be let out while also shouting and asking if she's okay. She grits her teeth and absently nods, but as their yelling becomes too much, Darcy whirls on them and squints her eyes at one of the stones. Then with a wave of her hand, one of the stones fly out of place and the force field drops.

Immediately, Jane and Steve are rushing to Darcy's side while Leo and Pepper rush to Piper's side. Leo's fussing over Piper even though she's shushing him and swatting at Pepper's attempts to check the graze on her arm, and Darcy has to have a small laugh at that. It's then her turn to ignore the fussing of her friends, she instead choosing to focus on those of her friends who seem to linger a good few feet away from her. But the second Jane puts pressure on Darcy's wound, the only thing Darcy can think about is how her wound feels like it's on fire.. and spreading. Rapidly.

One second she's mentally bitching about about how much pain she's in, and the next she's closing her eyes because of the room spinning. She can feel the beaded sweat along her hairline starting to drip down the side of her face and when she suddenly pitches forward, Steve's at her side so she doesn't fall flat on her face.

"What's wrong with her?" Steve demands.

"P-poison," Piper tells him. "A dark-lighter's arrow is poisonous to any and all white-lighters."

"White-lighters?"

Piper falls quiet and looks to Leo, and Leo shrugs. "I guess you can say our little Darcy-Lou is something like a half angel." The elderly man waits until the group is over their brief shock, he then pointing to his granddaughter. "I'm guessing this is a new poison. It's never worked this fast before."

"Well it is," Tony eventually points out. "How do we save her?"

"D-dad," Darcy mumbles. All eyes dart to the now clearly delirious girl, dread filling them at the sight of her sickly pale and sweat slicked skin. " _Dad_."

And despite the serious situation, Clint snorts. "Is she calling Steve her dad? Kinky."

Natasha glares at him, but it's Bucky who punches him in the arm.

A swirling mass of blue orbs descend from the ceiling, everyone preparing themselves for a fight when Leo waves them down. "Stop. It's just Darcy's dad Chris."

And sure enough, a handsome man with light green eyes, salt-n-pepper shortly cropped hair, and a five o'clock shadow appears. He glances around at all the strange yet familiar faces, and eventually down at his daughter. "No," he breathes out in horror.

Chris falls to his knees beside his daughter, hands hovering over her wound. "What happened?!"

"Uh, Leo said something about a dark-lighter?" Steve answers, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

Chris' eyes widen and then he's shouting, " _Wyatt!_ Wyatt, Darcy's in trouble!"

Before anyone can ask who Wyatt is, another swirling mass of orbs appear. By now, everyone's given up being on edge for an impending threat and step back when another man appears, this one with short curly brown hair and a dark brown goatee. His eyes, too, widen upon Darcy's appearance but instead of asking what happened, he's immediately on his knees and holding a hand over her wound. His hand glows a bright golden yellow and soon enough, Darcy is gasping and coughing and being helped into a seated position.

"Ugh, Grams," she groans tiredly. "-see what I mean by stuff always happening when you leave the Manor." Grams and Jane chuckle, and when Darcy realizes the room is too quiet, she glances up at all the questioning gazes. "Uh, surprise!" She weakly flashes them jazz hands. "I'm a witch."

She cringes at the first voice to speak, "Thought you were a white-lighter?", but the question is one that's not accusing her of secrets so she breathes out a sigh of relief.

"I'm both," she says. "Mom's human, but Dad," she nods at Chris. "-takes after his parents Grams and Gramps. Grams is a witch and Gramps was a white-lighter, but he broke the rules when falling in love with Grams so they kinda- they kinda.."

"They clipped my wings," Leo finishes off with a smile, grasping Piper's hand in his own as Wyatt heals his mother's arm. "And I'd do it all over again given the chance."

Jane, Pepper, and Clint _aww,_ and then Darcy's introducing everyone to her Dad and Uncle, and vice versa. Though Wyatt is actually pretty giddy to be meeting the Avengers, Wyatt has other things to tend to and orbs away. And after making sure his daughter is absolutely okay, Chris brings Darcy into a fierce hug and promises to catch up with her later because his current charge was having a bit of a crisis that he had suddenly left in the middle when he heard Darcy's call.

"So," Tony drawls. "-we'll be discussing why you kept such kick ass talents from us later, but I think right now we should focus on the currently frozen Bruce and how we're going to keep him from hulking out."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Darcy mumbles. "Um, meet me on the Containment floor."

She casually walks over to Bruce and lays a hand on his shoulder, she childishly waving her fingers in a wave at her friends before orbing away to a containment unit with Bruce in tow. Once she leaves Bruce in there, she walks to the opened door, unfreezes him, and then slams her hand down on the lock down button.

Bruce hulks out even as Darcy assures him everything is fine from outside of the unit, she speaking through the speakers and trying to calm the Hulk down. Everyone shows up in less than a minute, and it takes Natasha doing some sort of _lullaby_ to bring Bruce back. Then once everyone's settled and calm enough to act civil with all that's come to light within the last ten minutes, all eyes turn to Darcy and her family who seem to have huddled together off to the side.

"First things first," Tony speaks up. "-what are we looking at here? Wicked Witch of the West or Good With of the North?"

Grams and Gramps chuckle softly, and Darcy rolls her eyes. "Are you kidding me? Grams would strip me of my powers at the first sign of evil. No. All witches of the Halliwell line work for the Light. And if not, then we try our damnedest to take care of our own and make them see their mistake."

"So you're born with this power?" Natasha asks. "Not enhanced at a later portion of your life?"

"Born," Darcy smiles.

"How..?" Clint says, arms crossed over his chest. "How did you keep this secret for so long? And why?"

Darcy's smile turns sad then, she knowing full well of Clint and his edginess for all things magic. "It wasn't just me," she shrugs. "If I'd have said anything, I'd be putting my _entire_ family at risk. My dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, Grams and Gramps. I had wanted to tell you all, but I only ever got as far as Jane and Pepper."

"But you're good."

"Most definitely," she grins at him. "My family, they protect this plain we live on from those of the Underworld. We're kind of like the Avengers, only we take care of the problems before anyone can question whether or not the threat is of this world or not."

"You seem so.. normal," Clint pushes. When Jane and Pepper narrow their gazes at him, he holds his hands up in surrender. "What? I'm not- I'm just asking. Yeah, the magic bit is a bit to take in, but I don't think any different about Darce. I'm just curious."

"Well that, my friend, is a story for Grams," she laughs.

Grams preens under all the sudden stares and she sits up a little bit straighter from her perch on a stool. "Well, it all started long ago when a witch predicted that three daughters would be born to another witch, and that these three daughters would be the world's only hope against the Source of all Evil. These daughters would eventually be known as.. the Charmed Ones."


	5. Supernatural

Darcy pulls her borrowed car up to a slow stop, gravel crunching beneath all four tires. Her thumbs tap out a random beat against the steering wheel as she leans forward in her seat, the nearly falling apart sign of _Singer Auto Salvage_ looming over her.

Bobby Singer had entered little Darcy's life when he decided to marry Darcy's aunt Karen. He was kind man, always smiling and offering her a piece of candy when aunt Karen got stuck with babysitting duty. He never once made fun of her constant wearing of overalls or the two low ponytails at either side of her head that other children made fun of her for, and instead pulled Darcy outside with him and showed her the ins and outs of changing a flat tire or checking the oil on a vehicle. But then Darcy's aunt died in a suspicious manner, and good ole Uncle Bobby became a cranky old man with a very short fuse.

Bobby pushed all of Karen's family away, including Darcy, but when Darcy was old enough she fought her way back into his life. He had remained single, letting his house fall to pieces around him which then led Darcy to spend a majority of her time fixing it up when she visited. Books upon books of very odd subjects found their way into Bobby's library, living room, and kitchen, and Darcy eventually had had enough and demanded to know what was going on.

And that was when Darcy learned of demons and various of monsters that legit went bump in the night.. and sometimes the daylight.

Darcy then left for college with the knowledge of monsters, Bobby making sure that she was prepared with everything necessary to ward off demons and ghosts that wouldn't make anyone too suspicious. Then Thor happened and Darcy became oddly mum about things she would normally ramble on and on about, and Bobby eventually learned his niece was at ground zero for Thor's landing when elves attacked London and he found pictures of her running around Greenwich. She still remained quiet about other things because of all the NDA's she had signed and Bobby reluctantly understood.

Darcy visited when she could, picked up some new Hunter techniques and supplies, and then always returned to her boss who Darcy had recently let in on the secret part of her life. She lived a decent life even though she wasn't being paid, and then Tony Stark adopted Jane into his merry band of scientists at Stark Tower and Darcy got to tag along. She finished up college, assisted Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Jane when needed in the labs, and befriended all the Avengers. But being close-knit with spies was such a very bad idea and it didn't take long for Clint or Natasha to figure out Darcy's odd behavior, and got her to spill everything about Hunters and the supernatural world that the Avengers had no idea about.

Bobby learned the Avengers knew about his world and even though he first grumbled about it, he made no fuss when Darcy asked him to ship anti-possession charms for the team and others. They knew about Bobby and Bobby knew about them, and it was a whole shit storm when SHIELD fell and Bobby couldn't get in contact with anyone. Fortunately, Darcy and Jane found their way to Bobby's and he let them lay low for a couple weeks before returning to New York when Stark rounded the team back up.

Of course there were a bunch of ups and downs with the Avengers, the newly rebuilt SHIELD, and the government wanting the Winter Soldier's head on a silver platter, but fires were extinguished, friendships mended, and the Avengers got to keep the Winter Soldier on their side when Bucky started remembering more and more about his past.

Work returned to normal and Darcy spent her time being pulled in three different directions. Each brilliant mind needed her attention and notes needed to be logged so that they were legible, and Darcy was usually exhausted by the time she poured herself into bed. But then one sleepless night too many for Tony led to a lab explosion in which Darcy was blown back into a glass wall, anger and terror led to Darcy having a breakdown on the man who provided a roof over her head, and Pepper soothed the younger woman by offering her some vacation time. And instead of taking the private jet offered, Darcy apologized to both Tony and Pepper for the breakdown to which it was merely waved off with understanding smiles, and Tony ended up loaning Darcy a car from his garage when she mentioned driving to her uncle Bobby's.

Flash forward to the present time and Darcy finds herself slowly grinning up at the _Singer Auto Salvage_ sign.

Pressing gently down on the gas, Darcy creeps forward and cringes as the once smooth ride turns into a bumpy one. _Man, Tony really should have just rented out a decent piece of crap instead of letting me take the silver Audi Spyder_ , she thinks.

She passes rows and rows of stacked vehicles before Bobby's wooden house comes into view, the man of the house exiting the screen door moments later. He's glaring down at the car (she might have forgot to mention that she was coming for a visit), and she outright cackles once she finally parks and kills the engine, only to step out of the car and wave up at him.

The glowering expression quickly shifts into one of annoyed happiness, he pulling off his baseball hat and shoving it into his back pocket. "What, couldn't pick up a phone?"

"I can, but I wanted to see the pure and unadulterated joy bursting from your being when you laid eyes on me."

"You're hilarious," Bobby deadpans. "And that's a ridiculous car," he says as he watches her pull a suitcase from the passenger seat before marching up to the porch until she's standing before him with an impish grin. "Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, you know, Stark felt guilty for blowing me up, so he lent me one of his."

"Idjit."

"And Pepper put me on a mandatory mini-vacay since I had a bit of a mental breakdown. She wanted to have me flown somewhere beach-y, but I wanted to spend time with my favorite Uncle."

"Of course, you did."

They make their way inside his home, the tension in Darcy's shoulders leaving at being _home._ While she loves Stark Tower in all it's glass and chrome glory with nifty gadgets, Bobby's wooden home just has an air about it that's super comforting and relaxing.

"Yep. And now that I'm here, I need to sleep. Days of crappy motel beds did a number on my back and I know for a fact I still have my bedroom here. I want my bed and food, but sleeping's more important right now."

"Alright." Bobby pauses to look at his wrist watch and sighs. "It's just after noon so I'll give you until dinner time."

"Yes," Darcy groans in delight. "Best. Uncle. Ever."

He snorts. "Uh huh. Get some sleep, kid." As Darcy pauses at the bottom of the stairs, she glances over her shoulder with a grateful little smile. "Glad to have you home, Darcy-Lou."

"Glad to be home, Bobby."

* * *

Darcy gets exactly four days of normalcy- of telling Bobby all about Avenger shenanigans that aren't classified and of Bobby telling Darcy what he's been up all while Darcy cleans his house from floor to ceiling.

They're in the middle of dinner prep when the sound of a speeding car catches their attention- the gravel spitting beneath speeding tires and the sound of screeching brakes driving them into motion. Bobby throws open the pantry and retrieves two shotguns, he tossing one to Darcy and keeping the other for himself. Both of them simultaneously cock their weapon with such fierceness, especially Darcy who went from giggling to such seriousness that Bobby's quite proud of, and they march towards the front door.

Just as they reach the door, however, the screen door is yanked open and two men rush inside. Bobby scoffs and lowers his weapon, but Darcy merely takes aim with a dangerous glint in her eye. The two men are panting and a little bit bloody from small nicks to their faces, obviously bruised, and are shocked to have a gun pointed in their faces.

"What the hell?" The shorter of the two asks. "Who the hell are you?" He then demands.

Darcy's aim doesn't waver as Bobby puts a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Darcy. These are those Winchester idjits I always tell you about."

Her aim wavers then, one perfectly waxed eyebrow arching at their suspicious expressions. Sam and Dean Winchester, if she remembers correctly, are the sons of the late John Winchester who only got into the Hunting business when a demon killed his wife above little Sammy's crib. Both brothers have amazing hazel eyes that practically shine green with anger, and the both of them are obviously fit and made for Hunting, so if they're battered and bruised then whatever chasing them can only mean trouble.

"Well okay then," she says, swinging the shotgun up so the barrel rests against her shoulder. "What can we do for you boys?"

Neither brother seems to keen on answering and Bobby huffs in annoyance. "For Christ's sake, you three. Darcy, that's Dean and Sam," he says while pointing each one out. "Sam and Dean, this is Darcy. My _niece_."

She smiles at the then gobsmacked expressions and wiggles her fingers in a wave. "I repeat, what can we do for you boys?"

"D-demons," the taller of the two finally answers her. "A swarm of them. It was too much for us to handle."

"And that explains why Dean was driving like a bat out of hell how?" Bobby snarks.

"They're headed this way," Dean sheepishly admits. "Maybe an hour or so."

"Well shit," Darcy swears. "There goes my vacation." Bobby pinches the bridge of his nose and the two Winchesters take one last moment to stare at Bobby's niece. When she catches them staring, she winks at them before whirling and strutting back towards the kitchen. "I would have invited you boys to stay for dinner, but since you brought demons with you you're not getting a thing. Hurry up so I can patch you up while you fill us in on whatever the hell's going on," she calls out from behind the wall.

Sam and Dean both turn to Bobby with raised eyebrows, the old man shrugging. "What?"

"Niece?" Dean incredulously mutters. "And not only your niece, but a _hot one_?!"

Bobby glares and Sam snorts, and Dean's eyes widen at the words that he said to the hot girl's uncle. "She's from Karen's side of the family," Bobby grudgingly admits. "The little runt wouldn't let me go after Karen died, so she visits when she can."

"And she's in the hunting business, too?" Sam asks.

"What can I say? The girl lives for the weird."

"Do not!" She yells from the kitchen. "Now get your old asses in gear and get in here!"

Bobby rolls his eyes, Sam smirks, and Dean practically has love shining from his eyes.

"I kinda like her," the elder Winchester admits though he ducks behind his brother when admitting so.

"Yeah, well, you won't like her as much if you ever meet the boyfriend. Man's terrifying."

Sam and Dean stumble a step, eyes widening once again at Bobby's admission. Nothing every ruffles Bobby Singer's feathers and for the man to admit that another person is terrifying, well then they're taking his word for it.

In the kitchen, all the food has been moved to the counters and Darcy has the table set up with first-aid supplies. Sam and Dean take hesitant seats at the table as Bobby casually starts pulling out stuff for sandwiches, and Darcy sets to work on Dean first since his face is the bloodier of the two. And as she starts wiping away blood, he awkwardly clears his throat.

"So, uh, Bobby said you're from his wife's side of the family? Nice of you to keep in touch with him."

"Yes, well, it wasn't easy," she mumbles. "He turned into a grumpy old bastard and kept trying to push me away, but I'm stubborn- or so I've been told- and I didn't let him push me around so easily."

"Good."

"What do you do?" The question comes from her left and her gaze briefly darts to Sam who's wiping his own blood away with alcohol soaked cotton pads. "Bobby's never mentioned he had living family before. Sorry for being curious."

"It's fine," she grins at Sam before focusing on Dean once more. "I'm, uh, I actually live in New York now," she tells him while trying not to laugh every time Dean grimaces when the alcohol hits an open cut. "My boss put me on a mandatory vacation, so I came down to see Bobby since it's been a while."

"Your boss made you take vacation?" Dean actually sounds surprised. "They can do that?"

"Yep," Darcy says, popping the 'p'. "Kind of had a mental breakdown on my other boss and she said I needed time away. But really, can you blame me? The idiot blew us up!" Silence follows and when Darcy straightens to toss the bloodied pad from her hand, she sees two incredulous stares on her. "What?"

"Your boss blew you up?! What the hell kind of work do you do?" Dean wonders. Bobby snorts, but his attention stays on putting away the food he and Darcy where prepping in favor of the sandwiches he's halfway done making.

Darcy's lips press together at her little slip, but then she takes a deep breath and grins. "I'm an assistant to a few scientists. Lab explosions are not a rare thing, but I was exhausted and everything just kind of.. overwhelmed me. And now here I am, annoying my favorite uncle ever for the next two weeks."

The questions stop after that and Darcy has time to put liquid bandages on all the nicks both brothers are sporting. They also have time to scarf down a sandwich with a nice cold beer, and time for Darcy to coo over Sam's chin length hair much to Dean's amusement (she really did like a man who could sport the long locks). Then a sense of foreboding seems to envelop Darcy and all amusement melts from her features. She turns to glance out the nearest window and everyone follows suit because they can all sense it, too.

They all rush out the backdoor, the four of them loaded down with shotguns packed with rock salt. There's a swirling black mass off in the distance, but it doesn't seem to be getting any closer than a certain point. And when the four of them clear a stack of cars, Bobby swears at the gathered group of people practically snarling at them as a handful of demons dig at the ground with their bare hands.

"What the hell are they doing?" Darcy asks, nervously fingering the trigger of her gun. "And how the hell did you manage to piss off this many demons at once?!"

"We're Winchesters. It happens," Dean shrugs.

Bobby's cursing up a storm beneath his breath, he finally answering Darcy's first question. "They're digging up the pipes."

"Uh, what pipes?"

"The steel pipes I buried that are filled with salt and welded together to create a safety net over my property from these assholes," Bobby grunts. "How the hell did they know about that?"

"Shit," Darcy swears. "Shit, shit, shit." One hand leaves her weapon to slide into the back of her jean's pocket where her phone resides, she clicking the side button exactly three times.

"We can't take all of them on," Sam says. "Even if we start an exorcism, most of them will flee or kill their vessel before we can even finish. We need a way to knock them unconscious."

Darcy swears again. "So we're not killing them? Why didn't you say anything sooner?!" Her gun completely falls from her hands now, she digging out her phone and unlocking it with a swipe of her finger. "Seriously, guys, use your words! I pressed my panic button already."

"Panic button?" Dean cocks an eyebrow at her. "What the hell is a panic button gonna do for us?"

"You'd be surprised," she mumbles as she types frantically on the small screen.

"Balls!" Bobby suddenly groans. "You would invite _them_ when I'm not prepared for their particular brand of company."

Darcy smirks, but Dean's suddenly suspicious all over again. "Them? Who's them?

"The Avengers, of course. I told you I worked with them, didn't I?" She feigns innocence.

"Uh, no," he scoffs. "You said scientists!"

"Well, yeah. Doctor Foster, Doctor Banner, and Tony Stark. Scientists."

"Holy hell," Dean mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Don't worry," she grins. "The Avengers are on the way and they're under strict orders to not kill. They know about what Bobby and I do, so they're well equipped with anti-possession charms. Relax."

"Says the girl who works with them for a living," Dean glowers.

 **xXx**

The Avengers take a little longer than expected to show up and by the time they do, the demons have busted through Bobby's only line of defense. They pump rock salt into the unfortunate vessels that get too close as they rush back inside Bobby's home, and a few demons even get stuck in devil's traps when they attempt to follow the group inside.

Everyone's shooting from a window, yelling and cursing for the demons the stay back when Darcy hears the whir of a quinjet's engine. Iron Man's repulsors can be heard whirring and firing, as well as the demons screeching and hollering.

"Is that them?" Dean asks, cocking his shotgun and firing once more.

"Yep. They all have low powered weapons with just enough _oomph_ to knock someone unconscious, so don't worry."

In what seems like hours, but is actually only less than fifteen minutes, the Avengers have every demon they'd come across knocked out and laid out behind Bobby's house. There were too many demons for one exorcism, so Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Darcy spread out and recited the words to have a demon exorcised simultaneously. The inky black smoke makes the Avengers actually take several steps back, but also helps them breathe a little easier when the demon smoke sinks into the ground.

Another hour in has Dean and Sam explaining to everyone waking up about how what they experienced was something they couldn't tell another soul. Shaken, the people understood and listened when Hawkeye and the Black Widow gave everyone cover stories about where they'd been during their disappearance. Sheriff Mills and her deputies were then called in to escort the locals to the nearest hospital after being filled in on what happened, and others are offered a ride in the quinjet if they were from out of state.

Hawkeye and the Black Widow are then left to get the civilians in the quinjet while the others cram themselves in Bobby's home for a quick little chat. And once Darcy catches Thor's beaming smile, she laughs and throws herself in his welcoming arms.

"Pft," Dean scoffs and nudges Bobby's shoulder. "That's the terrifying boyfriend? He looks like a puppy."

"Keep watching, idjit."

From the beefy blonde's arms, Darcy then leaps into none other the Winter Soldier's arms- the one Avenger no one had really actually seen slink into the house- and plants a loud, wet kiss directly to his lips.

"Oh. Yeah. Terrifying," Dean gulps and looks away from the reuniting couple.

Steve chuckles at Dean's words and then steps closer to the gathered Hunters, his attention on Bobby. "Mr. Singer, nice to finally meet you."

"Y-you as well, Captain America sir."

"Steve's fine."

"Then call me Bobby. None of this Mr. Singer crap."

"Alright." Steve then offers his hand to Sam and Dean, the three of them getting introductions out of the way as well. "We gotta get out of here soon and get the civilians back home, but I actually would like to run something by you three real quick. My team and I have been thinking on it since Darcy let us in on this part of her life, but seeing it action really cemented the idea."

"Yeah?" Bobby grunts. "And what's that?"

"How would you three like to make the Hunting business your official job? We could get you in with SHIELD now that's it's been properly rebuilt."

Bobby, Sam, and Dean gape.

"Cool," Darcy beams, turning her attention away from Bucky and to her Uncle and the Winchesters. "I might know a hacker or two that can wipe your records clean. We can fix your reputation and you can have legal credentials along with an honest paycheck."

"And not only that," Tony saunters in from the kitchen, sandwich in hand. "-but if you don't wanna be stationed at the Tower, I can spruce up this place a bit to make your work more easier."

"So we'd be like the Avengers of the supernatural variety?" Dean suspiciously asks, his excitement slowly taking over when he sees the honest and accepting expressions of his brother and Bobby. And when Steve shrugs and says _pretty much,_ Dean claps his hands together and rubs them excitedly. "Alright. We're in."


	6. Teen Wolf

**Just a little heads up, when you see** **were** **written as** _ **were**_ **(in italics), it's being pronounced as the 'were' in werewolf or were-creature. Understandable? Good.**

* * *

Darcy Lewis remembers when, once upon a time, she used to go by Darcy Hale.

Born a werewolf, she was conditioned along with her elder sister for something _more._ Their mother, Talia, was one of the most powerful and respected alphas in the werewolf community and Darcy couldn't have been more prouder. And while her elder sister, Laura, was being groomed to take on the alpha status when her mother was ready to pass it on, Darcy was groomed for nearly the same thing.

No one had told Darcy why she was being groomed for being an alpha when Laura was the one inheriting the power, but she didn't argue. Her big heart and caring personality was apparently going to pay off in the future if she kept on the same path, and pay off it did.

Sweet Laura hit the rebellious teen years before Darcy, but then Darcy and her younger brother Derek joined in soon after. They took their werewolf responsibilities to heart, never mucking it up in fear of outing their family, but good things eventually come to an end. Darcy had to watch the cruel world take her little brother's first love away from him, stealing away his beautiful golden eyes and replacing them with a steely blue. And if that wasn't enough, Derek really closed himself off from the rest of his family and took to being a little too secretive for her tastes.

But Derek's secrecy wasn't the worst of it. Not by a long shot.

No, the worst of it came when- not surprisingly- Laura, Derek, and Darcy all snuck out late one night without each other knowing only to be overwhelmed with the sudden urgency to return home. Darcy dropped what she was doing and took off in a dead sprint through the Beacon Hills Preserve to reach her family's home, only when she got there, the house was completely engulfed in flames and her family's cries from the inside could be heard. She watched in shocked terror as Laura and Derek attempted to enter their home only to be shoved back by a mountain ash barrier, and then the fire department was there and hauling her siblings away while they attempted to put out the flames.

Before Darcy could call out or run to her siblings, she felt a pinch in her neck and her whole world blacked out. And cut to several years later, and well Darcy now knows why she was being groomed to be alpha along side her sister.

After Darcy had woken up in a moving vehicle, she lashed out at her driver only to be subdued yet again. The obvious female wolf explained herself- that she was a friend of Talia's- and that there had been a plan to whisk Darcy away if something terrible ever happened to the family. Because while Laura was set to inherit power, Darcy was destined to _rise_ to it. A True Alpha was something rare among the werewolf community, something incredible yet also something dangerous should the true alpha not have a pack. Darcy had scoffed at the idea of being a True Alpha, but after listening to her mother's friend, she understood the severity of the situation and calmed down some.

Mourning her family was tough, especially when the woman told her that none of her family made it out alive that night- Derek and Laura included because of Hunters standing nearby- and Darcy threw herself into conditioning to be a better werewolf.

College was soon upon her, she left the woman who had taken her from Beacon Hills and changed her name from Hale to Lewis, and Darcy made do about keeping herself hidden on full moons. She guarded her secret with all her might, let her old outgoing personality shine through, and made a name for herself among her peers. Then New Mexico happened, her boss Doctor Foster became her bff Janie-Poo, and Darcy made the decision to let Jane in on her secret. To say Jane was shocked was a bit of an understatement, but then Thor happened and Jane was glad to have Darcy in her corner.

More stuff went down, Darcy found out she actually was a True Alpha after rising to that status when saving the world from Dark Elves, and she struggled to keep her secret a secret. And while it was hard, it was do-able. But then Jane got invited to work and live in Stark Tower, and Darcy got to tag along, and she knew her secret was bound to come out when living with a couple of spies. Luckily for her, she was able to tell her secret before it was outed.

The Avengers- her friends- took it all in stride, but it was Bruce who understood her the most. The whole group saw what Darcy shifted in to, some of them got to experience what she was capable of, and they all listened to the tale of Darcy Hale. She was quickly accepted for who and what she was, and they all understood her secrecy and wish to stay off of SHIELD's radar. What the Tower's occupants hadn't expected, however, was Darcy's sudden need to touch them when near her.

 _Pack_ , she had told them. They felt like pack. Family.

And that was how Darcy Lewis came into one of the most powerful packs across the country even if no one else knew about it.

* * *

Darcy's sparring with Steve in the gym, sweat practically dripping from them as they dance around one another. Of course they hadn't spent the entire time dancing around one another if the already fading bruises were anything to go by on either Steve or Darcy, but that was fine by the both of them.

"Ready to call it, Cap?" She teases.

"Never."

He lunges then, his arms going around Darcy's waist. She immediately brings an elbow down on Steve's back with as much power she can muster, she then leaning over his back and bringing her foot up behind her to smack into Steve's face. They both tumble away from each other, Darcy laughing as Steve wipes away the blood trickling from his nose.

"Aw, poor baby."

"That's it, Lewis."

This time when Steve attacks, he's throwing punch after punch and crowding into her space. Darcy stumbles back, ducking under each swing and blocking his blows with her forearms. However, she's not expecting the sudden increase of his speed, and soon finds his arm hooked under her armpit so that he's flipping her up and over until she's flat on her back on the mat. He quickly straddles her stomach, one hand grasping both her now clawed hands above her head while pressing his free forearm into her throat.

"Yield?"

"..yield," She snarls after struggling to break his hold with no such luck.

Steve laughs and immediately lets up, her red glowing eyes not fazing him one bit anymore. Though Darcy is technically the alpha of her misfit little superhero family, she's not your average alpha. While most alphas refuse their betas such power over them, Darcy encourages her pack to overpower her when they can so that they know what they're getting into should they ever run into a non-friendly wolf.

"Come on, Darcy-Lou, let's go grab some lunch."

At the mention of food, Darcy blinks away her red eyes and left in their wake are sparkling blue orbs. "Sounds good, Steve-O. Help a lady up."

"I will when I see one."

Her eyes widen at Steve's little jab, laughter bubbling out seconds later. Steve joins her, he then offering her a hand up. And it's only after they've wiped themselves off and guzzled a bottle of water each that Darcy jumps up on Steve's back, and has him carry her to the elevator so they can head to the common area for lunch.

Though the second they're in the elevator, two smells immediately assault her nose. A growl slips passed her lips and Steve hurriedly drops her down to her own two feet.

"Darce?"

"Were we expecting company of the _were_ variety?"

"Not that I know of. Why? What's going on?"

"Someone's trespassing," she lowly growls. "JARVIS, activate Protocol Moon. Alert the Pack."

" _As you wish, Miss Darcy._ "

The elevator doors ding open at their destination and Darcy's spine straightens. Steve immediately flanks her right as she marches into the common area, practically emanating authority. In the kitchen area, they find Natasha perched on a bar stool at the island bar with one leg crossed over the other as Clint entertains two guests. Two guests which distinctly smell of _were_ and magic.

"Hey, Darce. Cap," Clint grins. "Come meet Stiles and Malia. They're here with some friends and got sidetracked. Nat and I brought them here."

Darcy flashes him a tight smile, one that he doesn't immediately see through, and lets her gaze linger on the pale guy with moles dotting along one side of his face and the girl with wavy hair cropped just above her shoulders. But the moment three soft pings echo around the room- two back to back, a pause and then a single ping once more- Natasha and Clint are on alert.

Stiles doesn't catch the rising tension, but Malia recognizes that something is off. As Darcy passes Natasha, the redhead stands up and takes a stand next to Steve. She passes Clint and Clint hops up on the counter, the kitchen knives a lot closer than they were before. Darcy smiles at the two newcomers, completely bypassing the one who smells of _were_ and heads straight for the one who stinks of magic. Her claws appear with a sudden _schnitk!_ and her hand is wrapping around the pale guy's throat before she's roughly pinning him to the fridge.

"You stink of magic, little druid," Darcy sneers at him. "Why are you here?"

The _were_ finally gathers her wits, a ferocious roar emanating from her. As Darcy glances over her shoulder, she finds glowing blue orbs glaring at her. The _were_ lunges for Darcy, but Clint kicks her off course and Steve scuffles with her quickly until he's subdued her on the floor with a knee to the middle of her back.

"Get off of me!" Malia snaps her mouth full of teeth over her shoulder at Steve, then looking forward and growling at Darcy. "Let him go!"

"Quiet!" Natasha hisses, glaring down at the blue-eyed girl. Oh yes, Darcy's filled them in on what the different colored eyes mean and even though they know not every set of glowing blue eyes means they're a serial killer, this Malia girl is a stranger to them and there's no telling who this girl really is.

"I'll ask you again," Darcy says, gripping Stiles' throat a little tighter. "Why are you here?"

"I-I'm just here with s-some friends! Honest," he blurts. Brown eyes are widened in honest fear, especially since three Avengers are letting him be manhandled, and he continues to babble. "My f-friend's being recruited h-here. For the science division! Malia and I just got a little lost, I swear!"

"You see, that might be true and all, but I don't like magic users trespassing into my home or conversing with my pack without my knowledge." Stiles' eyes get a bit more wider, and Darcy smirks at him. "That's right, little druid, you messed up. Feel around you. You should have sensed it the moment you stepped foot in the lobby."

Malia continues to struggle and curse at Darcy about not hurting Stiles, but she goes unheard as Stiles _feels_ out the _were_ before him. "Oh shit," he breathes out lowly. "You're an alpha."

The elevator dings and there's a flurry of movement followed by yet another ferocious roar. Stiles and Darcy turn their attention as one to the source of the roar, and Darcy finds another alpha threatening her.

"Shit, Scott, no!" Stiles yells.

Darcy lets him go, turning to face the alpha as her own features shift and eyes glow a blood red as she returns the roar in a crouch. The Hispanic alpha seems dumbfounded as Stiles keeps babbling for him to stop and to back down, but Darcy is angry and having none of their shit. While she could have overlooked the trespassing _weres_ because she does mask her scent from her kind, she can't overlook that this pack's druid just waltzed right in without letting his pack know of an alpha's presence. The tower is her home, the Avengers her pack, and she does not like that this unknown pack have infiltrated her space.

With some of the tension draining from the unknown alpha, most of Darcy's _were_ features fade except for the red eyes and elongated teeth.

"Darce?"

"D-Darcy?"

Her eyes never leave that of the alpha male even though two new assaulting scents make her heart ache and beat faster at the same time. They're.. familiar, yet they're not and she wants so bad for her senses to be right. And the second the alpha male blinks his red eyes away and takes a step back, Darcy lets her guard drop. Two figures- male and female- push aside their alpha, and Darcy's heart skips a beat.

Red eyes vanish and left in their wake are teary blue as she drinks in the two _weres_ before her. He's the spitting image of their father and she's the mini-version of their eldest sister. "Derek. Cora."

The rugged looking guy and girl with the doe eyes rush Darcy, the three of them colliding with laughter and tears as they all try to wrap their arms around each other.

"Uh, did I miss something?" Tony asks.

"I think we all did," the intruding alpha- Scott- mumbles, scratching the back of his head.

The hugging trio snap out of their little bubble, Darcy sniffling and wiping the tears from her face with a mega-watt smile. "Sorry, sorry," she laughs. "Protocol Moon is officially lifted." Steve, Natasha, Tony, Clint, Pepper, Jane, Thor, and an eerily calm Bruce break rank- all of them relaxing and spreading out along the kitchen bar to await explanations. "Uh, guys, meet Derek and Cora," she introduces them. "My little brother and littlest sister."

"What?!" Stiles yelps.

Derek and Cora are smiling as well as they turn towards their pack, Derek nodding in agreement with Darcy's words. "It's true. Darcy's our older sister. Laura was the oldest by only a year."

"But.. the fire," Clint frowns at Darcy. "You said you lost everyone."

"I did! At least, I thought I did," she frowns. "I was told everyone died."

"Who told you that?" Derek asks.

"One of mom's friends," Darcy shrugs. "I was- I snuck out that night," she admits to her siblings. "I had this gut feeling that something was wrong so I booked it back to the house. Only when I got there, you and Laura were being thrown back by a barrier of mountain ash, and our family- our family was-"

"I know," Derek cuts her off, placing his hands on her shoulders when Darcy gets caught up in the past. "I know."

Darcy nods and clears her throat, throwing a sad smile at her little sister. "I tried running to Laura and Derek, but someone surprised me and sedated me. One of mom's friends practically kidnapped me and took me out of California under mom's orders for some bullshit worse case scenario plan. I asked about you, you know," Darcy then looks back to Derek. "I asked about you and Laura, and I was told Hunters went back and finished you off. After that, my last name was changed and I was raised the way mom expected me to be raised."

"Expected you to be? What's that mean?"

"You know mom," Darcy faintly grins. "You saw how I was groomed for alpha status even though Laura was set to inherit the family power. Apparently mom had a feeling I was on the path to being a True Alpha. Surprise, surprise, she wasn't wrong."

"This is so awesome," the one named Stiles beams. "A true alpha whose pack is made up of Avengers and scarily intimidating women. And I say that with as much awe and no offense whatsoever," he looks between Pepper and Jane. Both women grin and nod in acknowledgement.

"Speaking of," Scott sheepishly interjects. "Can I ask how that works out? I mean, I know humans are capable of being pack, but superheros who all have alpha personalities listening to someone who's quite not on their level..? Or younger than them? I've tried getting Derek to join my pack, but he won't. He only sticks around because Cora agreed to be my beta."

Darcy laughs and nudges her brother. "It's easy, really," she says. "I'm not exactly a traditional alpha. Like you said, the Avengers all have alpha personalities, but they listen to the Captain when it comes down to a mission. When the problem is Avenger related, I stay out of it to keep the werewolf community off SHIELD's radar and stick to the comms and computers here at the Tower to help them out. But everything else falls under my jurisdiction as it's understood by everyone, and they just fall in line as they would behind the good Captain."

"This is going down as the best day in my life," another male says who then quickly introduces himself as Liam, Scott's first beta.

Then realizing that no one knows anyone in Scott's pack, introductions are quickly made. Stiles, the druid. Lydia, the banshee and also the one who has her heart set on joining Stark's Science Division. Kira, the kitsune. Liam and Hayden, beta werewolves. Mason, the human. Derek and Cora, beta werewolves and Darcy's younger siblings. And then finally Malia, the were-coyote.

"Were-coyote," Darcy grins. "Haven't seen one of those in a while."

"Yeah and speaking of," Cora chuckles. "Malia hasn't always been Malia Tate."

"I was born a Hale," said girl speaks up, crossing her arms over her chest in a self-conscious manner.

Darcy's humor fizzles, her eyes darting to the girl in question. "What?"

"Peter's my Dad."

"Again, what?!"

"Talia Hale took me away and gave me to a family who actually wanted me since my mother was a lunatic. Same as my father, come to think of it."

"Holy hell, guys," Darcy groans. "And welcome to the family, we're not all that crazy," she tells Malia before she forgets. "I would hug you, but you don't look like you're my biggest fan after Steve sat on you."

"I didn't sit on her! I subdued her."

"Yeah, by sitting on her," Clint snorts, chuckling at Steve's pout. A few others chuckle as well, the two packs becoming at ease with each other.

"What exactly have I missed since leaving Beacon Hills?" Darcy then asks. "And where's Laura? Shouldn't Cora be in her pack and not Scott's? No offense."

And wow, there goes the tension again.

Derek sighs, glancing around everyone before hunching in on himself and actually making himself smaller. "Maybe we should all sit down somewhere. You've missed a lot, Dee."

She glances suspiciously at everyone, especially at those who won't meet her eye and suddenly reek of _fear_ and _sadness_. "Tony, Pepper, can we have some guest rooms prepared for my family and the- I'm sorry, but what Pack is this again?"

"McCall," Scott squeaks and then clears his throat. "The McCall Pack."

"Of course," Pepper immediately agrees.

"I would like to catch up with my family, if it isn't too much to ask, alpha McCall."

"Not at all."

"And I'm pretty sure our little misunderstanding earlier cost Miss Martin some valuable time seeing the labs, so I'll look into having that rescheduled for her."

Lydia smiles. "I would like that very much. Thank you."

"Not a problem. And Doctor Banner?" Bruce glances at Darcy, smiling and awaiting what she has to say. "Can you please take Mr. Stilinski and have his throat checked out? I might have nicked him with my claws."

"Of course."

"Good, and thank you." Darcy sighs, chest tightening as her siblings still won't meet her gaze. "Tony, lets pour us some drinks, yeah? I have a feeling I'm going to need a bottle or two for this catch-up."


	7. Daredevil

Darcy trudges up the stairs to her brother's apartment building, huffing and puffing while yanking on the leather leash in hand when her dog gets distracted and tries walking in the opposite direction.

"No you don't, Griffin," she huffs and yanks on the pitbull's leash once more. "Come on. It's only two more flights and then you can slobber all over your uncle's belongings." The brown pitbull with a white chest, cropped ears, and eyes that shine an almost eerie silver sneezes and then snuffles, and Darcy grins down at him. "Shush, boy. You're not supposed to be in here. If you get us caught, we'll be kicked out."

The two flights of stairs take a bit longer to ascend what with Griffin fighting her every couple of steps and the straps to her overly large tote bag slipping from her shoulder, but she makes it to the top floor and raps a quick tempo against the apartment door. She's not actually sure her brother is home, but after waiting several long seconds, the apartment door is pulled open.

"Matty!" She squeals and watches as her brother flinches, he quickly zipping up a dark blue hoodie over his bruised bare upper torso. "Still saving the world one sleazebag at a time, I see," she then says, eyeing the cut on the bridge of his nose.

"Darcy," he grins, brows furrowing before his blank eyes glance downward. "Do you have a dog?"

"Yeppers! Matt, meet Griffin. Griffin, your uncle Matt." She pushes her way inside the apartment, dragging Griffin with her and then letting go of his leash once the door is shut behind them. "Sorry to intrude, but I have a huge favor to ask."

"I'm not watching your dog."

"Good to know, but that's not the favor," she says. "I, uh, I need a place to stay for a while."

Matt's grin slips into a frown, his hands tucking themselves into his hoodie's pockets. "Why, what happened?"

"The tower's about to become a war zone," she shrugs and grasps Matt by the elbow to drag him with her towards his sitting area. "The Avengers are dividing up and I'm not about to choose a side when we all know that once this blows over, they'll all be best friends again. I rather not pick a side and strain any friendships."

"Is this something I need to be worried about?" Matt's worry is enough to make Darcy smile, she chuckling as she sits on his couch. Griffin walks up to her and she un-clips his leash, he then headbutting Matt's knees and demanding to be pet when he sits. "I mean, superheros dividing up seems like a big deal," he amends and pets the dog when pushing it's head away doesn't deter him.

Darcy sighs. "Yes.. and no. After Sokovia, there's a lot of pissed off government officials. The government wants to- sort of- leash all superheros and tell them which missions they're allowed to see through. And with Tony still feeling tons of guilt over Ultron, he agrees."

"But the others don't?" Matt guesses.

"Some don't. Steve, for sure, does not agree. He flat out told Tony that if any civilian lives are in danger, he's rushing in with or without the government's approval. The team's splitting up, half on Tony's side and half on Steve's. I really rather not be at the tower and forced to choose a side which will only result in ruining friendships."

"Wow. Things have really gotten out of hand this time." Matt sighs and leans back, laying his head on the back of the couch. He knows the dog is there, but he still flinches when the large dog jumps up on the couch and half settles into his lap. A moment of silence passes and then Matt's shifting uncomfortably. "Darcy, you know I'd happily take you in-"

"But?" She smiles sadly, already having expected this.

"But with my nighttime activities, I can't risk you being here if an enemy decides to follow me home."

Darcy groans. "Always the martyr, Matthew Murdock. Well if I can't stay here, do you know of any place I can stay? Or rent out? I'm actually kind of desperate here, Matty."

Hand having stilled atop Griffin's head, Matt's head tilts to the side in a curious manner. "Actually, I might know of someone who can use a temporary roommate. Only.. she still might, kind of, hate me so don't get too excited."

"Matthew Murdock!" Darcy gasps, lightly slapping her brother's shoulder. "Are you trying to pawn me off on an ex of yours?" She's laughing as she says it, but Matt's sheepish expression has her faltering. "Matty, no. Please tell me you aren't actually trying-"

"It's okay," he assures her. "Karen's a good person. She might hate me, but if you explain what's going on she shouldn't turn you away."

Darcy groans and whines, but Matt still places a quick call to the strawberry blonde that seemed to have gone her separate way after the closing of Nelson and Murdock. He briefly explains Darcy's situation- that she's his sister who lives with the Avengers and that a problem's come up that has temporarily displaced her from her usual living arrangements- and then stumbles off into the kitchen where his conversation gets a little quieter.

Darcy shrugs and lures Griffin into her own lap, she waiting patiently for her brother's return while giving her pet some scritches. Eventually, Matt does return and he sighs yet again when he plops himself next to her on his couch.

"Well, what's the verdict?"

"She's unsure," he tells her. "Karen's a good person, though, so she's coming over right now to see whether or not the person she might be letting stay with her is at least sane."

"Good to know." Matt hums and Darcy grins at him. "So.. what's the deal with Karen? Give me all the deets. I wanna know all about this woman before she gets here."

 **xXx**

By the time Karen shows up, Darcy's caught up on the Matt/Karen/Elektra drama and how Matt essentially chose Elektra over Karen. The strawberry blonde sounded like a nice lady, but when Darcy saw her face to face, she could see that Karen still held a bit of a grudge against Matt. However, Karen did offer Darcy a kind smile even if it did turn hesitant when Griffin trotted into the room.

This time, Karen hears Darcy's story from the brunette's mouth herself and how she's not about to burn bridges with those she considers family. Karen seems pretty sold on the idea of taking Darcy _and_ Griffin in once she realizes the menacing looking dog is actually quite the fluff ball, and Darcy seems to sweeten the deal just a little further by throwing out that she'd buy all the groceries for the three of them during her stay.

And with Karen's pay at The Bulletin, free groceries for a while sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

* * *

For the first couple of days, Karen and Darcy learn to live together. It's a tight squeeze since Karen's apartment is a one bedroom, but they make it happen with the minimum amount of fuss. Griffin sleeps in his doggie bed that Darcy and Karen picked up from the tower when Darcy went to retrieve more clothing, and Karen surprisingly took to the pitbull wandering around her place.

They bond over takeout food and talking about their respective jobs, even more so when Karen jokingly throws out that she could use a source for her articles with Darcy's knowledge. And not missing a beat, Darcy shrugged and threw out that as long as Karen didn't name her in said articles then that could actually be a possibility since Karen actually writes the truth and not bullshit like most journalists tend to do.

Darcy and Griffin then prove to be an excellent house guests, and Karen finds herself letting her guard down around Matt's sister. Her kitchen is stocked for the first time since she's moved to New York and she sometimes feels guilty for making Darcy pay for the groceries, but then Darcy's careless attitude about money seems to quell Karen's worries.

* * *

Darcy and Karen are returning to Karen's place after a long day at the dog park when they notice something wrong. Usually, Griffin is quiet and quite happy to return home so he can laze about in his bed or beg for treats from the pretty strawberry blonde lady who he seems to have wrapped around his paw. Though the second Karen slots her key into the lock on her apartment door, Griffin goes on red alert and starts growling threateningly.

Karen's come to realize that Griffin doesn't get mean unless someone's threatening Darcy, so it's a bit of a shock to find the dog growling his displeasure directly at her apartment door. She opens the door and Griffin lets out a menacing bark before pulling his leash free from Darcy's hand and bolts inside the apartment.

"Goddammit, Griffin!" Darcy yells.

She and Karen rush in after the dog, the door slamming behind them before a man's gruff voice is heard. "Easy. Easy, boy," they hear.

Both women freeze and glance at one another, eyes wide and hearts hammering. And the second Griffin's barking ceases, the both of them dumbly rush in with Karen pulling free her pepper spray from her key chain and Darcy retrieving her taser from the hallway table.

Karen slaps on the light so her living space is lit up, and Darcy swears as Karen sighs and slumps in relief. None other than the vigilante known as Frank Castle- The Punisher- is sitting on Karen's couch and scratching Griffin between his ears. He's everything the paper's described him as; dark, brooding, and menacing clothing. A huge assault rifle is propped up at his side and for being a criminal, the guy is actually decent looking with his chiseled jaw and cheeks even if most of his face is bruised and cut up.

Silence lingers and Darcy manages to snap out of it, she snapping her fingers twice. "Griffin, come!" The dog stands and trots over to Darcy's side, and when she sees Karen casually pocket her keys, she frowns. "The hell, Karen?! You do know who this guy is, right?"

"..yes?"

The answer comes off as a question and Karen's sheepish smile tells Darcy all she needs to know. "Am I or you in danger of dying?" She asks, eyes narrowing. And when Karen shakes her head in a negative answer, Darcy sighs and lowers her taser. "Well alright then. I'm changing and then ordering Chinese. You get to feed Griffin and you," she turns her stare on Frank. "-need to clean up. I sleep on that couch and I really rather not have you contaminate it."

Karen snorts after a beat of silence and clicks her tongue at Griffin to get his attention as she heads into the kitchen, and when she's pulling out food for the dog, Darcy makes her way towards the bathroom.

"You some kind of stupid?" Frank rasps, stalling Darcy in her steps.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he glares. His hands shift in his lap and Darcy sees the handgun casually laying there.

Rolling her eyes, Darcy huffs and bends down to untie the laces of her dark red doc martens. "Depends on who you ask. I mean, Karen apparently shelters the Punisher- which thanks for the warning, K, really- but who am I to judge?" Shoes untied, Darcy slips them off and slides her shoes until they bump up against the wall. "I live with the Black Widow, Cap's apparently defending the Winter Soldier with his life, and Tony built a murder bot," she shrugs. "So really, this is actually a walk in the park for me."

Frank blinks once, brow furrowed. "Who _are_ you?"

Darcy grins but before she can answer, Karen's stepping back into the room with Griffin right on her heels. "Frank, this is Darcy. She's, uh, she's Matt's sister. She and Griffin needed a place to stay for a bit and well.. she couldn't exactly stay at Matt's what with his double life."

Understanding dawns on Frank even though he still seems wary, and Darcy's grin widens into a smirk. "Ah, so you know about Matty's horny alter ego, too?" Karen groans and Darcy cackles. "My brother's an idiot."

"Agreed," Karen says. "Now shoo. Go order food. I'm starving."

"Oh. Yeah." Then turning towards Frank, Darcy raises an eyebrow at him. "Staying for dinner? I need to know how much to order."

Frank just stares, his dark eyes taking in every detail about her. "No," he shakes his head. She thinks he's referring to the food, but before she can walk off to place their order, he continues. "I gathered information on Red back in the day. There was never anything about a sister."

Darcy sighs, her shoulders slumping while nodding Karen off to go place their order while she talks to Frank. Karen quickly makes sure she has Darcy's order right and when assured, she walks off back into the kitchen. Darcy then faces Frank once more, glancing around before deciding to just take a seat on the floor with her back against the wall and Griffin in her lap. "Matt and I.. we're not related by any legal means," she quietly explains. "We ended up in the same orphanage and I kind of mothered him when he was first brought in. Then some old dude showed up and took up all of Matty's free time, and when he finally had time for me again.. he was different. He was taking care of me even after the Lewis' adopted me and we just- we kept in touch. I see him like a brother and he sees the annoying little sister he never had."

Frank huffs. "So why Karen? I get why Red doesn't want you around, but if whatever you're hiding from comes down on Miss Page, then you and I are gonna have a problem."

"Protective," Darcy grins knowingly. "Don't worry, Mr. Castle, K's more than safe with me. If anything, I should be blowing whistles and screaming bloody murder. Out of the two of us, you're the wanted criminal."

"You threatenin' me?" His jaw clenches, the muscle in his cheek twitching.

"No, no. No one's threatening anyone," Karen rushes into the room, diffusing the building tension.

"Relax," Darcy says. "I'm not out looking to mess with you, Mr. Castle. In fact, I get what you're doing and I might actually approve of it a little bit, but I'll deny it if you ever bring it up."

"Wait, what?" Karen gapes. "You approve? But- but you live with Avengers! Matt Murdock is your _brother!_ Not even he approves of what the Punisher does."

"Yeah, well, we don't see eye to eye on everything," she smiles sadly. "And well, actually, I take it back. I _don't_ approve of your actions, Frank, but I get it."

"You get it?"

"Yeah," she gulps. A memory resurfaces and she has to take a moment to collect herself, she flashing both Frank and Karen an sheepish smile when they notice that she drifted for a moment. "Uh, first things first, anything said in K's apartment stays in K's apartment." She waits for both of them to nod and then continues while averting her gaze down to a dozing Griffin. "I'm close to the Avengers. Really close," she sighs. "And their enemies have decided to paint a target on my forehead. I'm sure you all know the Winter Soldier's identity by now and when Steve- er, Captain Rogers- decided to look for his long lost best friend, I helped.

"Only helping Captain Rogers is what really decided my fate because whoever else was looking for the Winter Soldier caught on that I was, too, in my free time. HYDRA kidnapped me, tortured me, and boasted about their genius plan of making me their next asset because turning Captain America's best friend against him the first time wasn't enough, so they wanted to turn his second best friend against him, too."

"Oh, Darcy," Karen coos sadly.

Clearing her throat, Darcy offers Karen a faint grin. "But I wasn't only close to Captain America. The Black Widow kind of took me under her wing and taught me some self defense, and I got to put those skills to the test. HYDRA had me for two weeks and in those two weeks I learned that they were looking to turn children into assets to make it harder for Captain America to take down before they settled on me. When I found my moment, I took it and I took out anyone who got in my way without any remorse."

Looking impressed, Frank raises an eyebrow at her in surprise. "And what did Red have to say about that? He lecture you, too?"

"Red- Matty doesn't know," she tells him. "And I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way." Frank hums and finally leans back against the couch, he nodding once and easing up some. There's a knock on the door and as Karen moves to go answer it, Darcy calls out that her wallet's on the hall table. And as Karen disappears, Darcy settles her gaze back on Frank. "So like I said, I get it, but I will tell you this. If you keep going at the rate you are, you will eventually land on SHIELD's radar and they will send someone to take you out. Either that or if the agent they send after you sees something in you, they'll try and recruit you."

"I stopped taking orders long ago."

"Yeah? Well then tone down the violence, sir, because I'm serious. SHIELD and the Avengers are too caught up in their own shit right now, but you'll eventually cross a line that they won't turn a blind eye to.

"Well then, I guess we'll see what the Avengers and SHIELD are made up of when the time comes."

"..I guess we will."


	8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It's an average Saturday night when Darcy's secret comes to light.

The Avengers are surprisingly having a slow week- slow enough that it prompted Bruce to take off to parts unknown- and Darcy wasted no time in rounding the rest of the team up, plus their significant others, for a family movie night.

Tony, Jane, and Natasha are compiling a list of movies for JARVIS to queue up for them, Steve's been lounging around for the past twenty minutes with a pencil in hand and a sketchbook in his lap, and Clint's gathering all the snacks while Darcy and Pepper separate all the take-out they had ordered in. The cushioned sunk-in sitting area is filled with pillows and blankets, and Thor's taken to making himself and Jane a comfortable little nest for the night.

They manage to make it through 'Jaws' and are halfway through 'King Kong' when their window- the glass window way up at the top of the tower- shatters and two figures roll into the room. Having been in the middle of refilling the popcorn bowls, Darcy's shocked frozen in the kitchen while everyone else is in the sitting area and scrambling to their feet.

The Avengers then jump into action when the two figures- er, _creatures_ \- then stand from their own crouched positions. They're easily over six feet tall, their skin is green and reptilian-like, their eyes are blood red, a stone-like jewel sits in the middle of their forehead, and thick horns curl on either side of their heads. They're wearing dark red robes of some sort and when their mouths open to speak, their teeth are shark-like.

"Where's the Slayer?" One of them snarls.

Jane screams as Natasha immediately starts emptying bullet after bullet into what Darcy knows are demons, but the bullets merely pull a grunt with each hit and the repulsors from Tony's Iron Man gauntlet barely nudge the demons backward. Without his bow, Clint's left to cover Jane and Pepper as the scramble far out of the way, and Thor's hand flies out to his side to summon Mjölnir.

Steve throws himself at one of the demons, his super-powered punches and kicks finally doing a bit to slow the demons down. But then Natasha tries the same tactic when her bullets run out, and her hits don't have the same power behind them as Steve's do so she's easily overpowered. And not wanting her friends to be taken down, Darcy throws caution to the wind and yells, "Hey! Over here, you ugly motherfu-"

"Darcy, don't!" Jane yells, but Darcy is already lunging.

Her hand slaps down on one of Natasha's knives that had been left out, her grip tightening around the handle. Running, she uses the coffee table to give her a boost and jumps high enough so her thighs wrap around one of the demon's head. With her free hand grasping one horn, Darcy uses all her weight and strength to pull back just enough so the demon's off balance and uses the hilt of the knife in hand to crush the jewel-like stone in the center of it's forehead. It hollers in pain, punching and clawing at Darcy's side, but she hangs on with all her might and flips the knife in hand to stab the blade where the jewel once rested.

The demon immediately falls dead, taking Darcy with it. She grunts as her back hits the floor, she then scrambling to escape from beneath it. Steve yells her name and Darcy looks up just in time to watch Steve aim a kick at the second demon's head, crushing the jewel beneath his boot. As the demon screams and swipes at his head to cover it's vulnerable spot, Darcy looks up at Natasha.

"Nat! Do it." She grasps the knife from the first demon's head and pulls it free, tossing it to Natasha who catches it without nicking herself and plunges it into the second demon's forehead.

Both demons now dead, people are easing up out of their fighting stances and glancing around at the damage done.

"How the hell did those things even get in here?" Tony wonders aloud, walking over to the shattered window. "We're eighty-six stories high!"

"What even were those things?" Pepper gulps, sidling up to Tony's side.

"Demons."

Everyone stares at Darcy, eyes wide, but Tony merely shrugs it off with a, "Huh," and continues about his business.

Raising a hand, Clint chances a look at everyone. "Are we not gonna talk about how Darce suddenly went all Black Widow on that _demon?_ I mean, who's been training you?" He then directs at her.

She sheepishly grins and then laughs when everyone looks at Natasha, the redhead frowning and shaking her head in a negative manner. "I've asked and threatened, but she's never taken me up on the offer."

Jane frowns. "Darcy? What's going o-"

 _"Sir,"_ JARVIS pings in, interrupting the astrophysicist. _"-it appears I a-am being o-overrid-"_

The AI cuts out and Tony perks up, his attention now focused. "JARVIS? What's going on, buddy?"

Silence follows even after Tony calls out several more times to his trusty AI, and dread starts filling everyone. If JARVIS has been compromised, who and what the hell is in the tower?

The elevator dings, signifying someone's entrance, and the whole room tense once more as they prepare for action. But the second the doors open and several people easily stride out behind a clearly beat-up blonde, Darcy curses and the attention is once more on her.

"Hey, Lewis," the blonde manages a small grin, shouldering a wicked looking red and silver scythe with the end of it's handle carved into a pointed tip.

"Summers," Darcy nods in acknowledgement and eases out of her fighting stance so the Avengers know to stand down as well. "Long time no see."

"Yeah. Sorry about barging in," she addresses the room at large before settling her gaze back on Darcy. "-but the Slayers are being rounded up again. Another Hellmouth has gone active and we need to stop it before it gets too out of hand."

"But- but I'm retired!"

"So is the Buffster," a guy wearing an eye patch grins. "But demons and vampires don't seem to care."

Darcy groans, her head falling back as she stares up at the ceiling as if asking _why me._

"Uh, excuse me," Tony pipes up. "But what the hell is a slayer? That's the second we've heard the term, the first time being from a demon."

"Slayers," Darcy starts. "-are women who were basically cursed since the beginning of time to fight the forces of darkness all on their lonesome. We have great strength, lightning reflexes, fast healing powers, and are highly skilled with many weapons and martial arts. There's only supposed to be one Slayer awakened at a time, but after Buffy died twice and then came back to life, it messed with the balance of good and evil."

"The First Evil was awakened then," a redhead- Willow, as she introduces herself- steps forward. "It was too powerful for Buffy alone and his army of vampires was in the high thousands. So in order to take that evil out, I performed a spell that awoke all future slayers and we rounded them up to close the Hellmouth the First Evil was stationed at."

"Which incidentally happened to be under our hometown of Sunnydale," eye patch pipes up again- Xander as he, too, introduces himself.

"So, hellmouth?" Steve asks. "Forces of evil and what not, we can help with that."

"No," the blonde immediately refuses. "This is our destiny- our fight. Slayers are the first line of defense and should we fall, I have a second team in place. However, should _they_ fall, then I wouldn't mind having you guys step in to make sure the threat doesn't leave the city. But until then, us Slayers got this."

* * *

Much to the displeasure of Steve, Natasha, and Jane, Darcy takes off with who everyone realizes is _the_ Slayer and the people who call themselves the _Scooby Gang._

For the first two days, Darcy sends them text updates, but refuses to disclose their location. And when Tony tried the GPS in her phone, they find that it's been disabled. No news stations are reporting anything out of the norm and no bloggers are blogging about monsters or _hellmouths._

For three days after that, it's complete radio silence. Darcy's phone immediately goes to voicemail and there is no weird activity being reported so the Avengers could follow it. Not even Odin will let Heimdall help Thor, the God of Thunder being told that the Norns had made sure everything was going according to plan.

Then on the fourth day of radio silence and with the Avengers praying for any piece of information, JARVIS alerts the team, Jane and Pepper that Darcy has returned. Everyone's gathered on the Common Room floor as requested and then Darcy's limping onto the floor minutes later.

She's pretty banged up; her hair tied up in a greasy knot, right eye blackened, a cut along the bridge of her nose and another above her left eyebrow, and her right arm is in a sling.

Clint whistles, hiding a grin. "I thought all slayers had advanced healing?"

"We do," she shrugs with a faint smile and braces herself as Jane rushes her to wrap her up in a hug. "The battle only ended last night, Clint. Cut me some slack."

Jane cries as Darcy wraps her one good arm around her to return the hug, and then Thor's there with soothing words as he welcomes Darcy back and gently dragging Jane away as to not hurt Darcy further.

"How did it go?" Steve- no, Captain America- asks.

Darcy's faint grin then diminishes. "We won. We averted yet another apocalypse, but we lost a few girls."

"How many is a few?" Natasha frowns.

"Seven."

"Christ," Steve groans.

"Yeah, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna go sleep for a week."

"Wait, hold on," Clint jumps up. "We have some questions."

"Can they wait 'til later?" Darcy whines. "I'm running on empty here, Hawkass."

"Hah! You called me Hawkass. You've got enough left in the tank to answer a few questions."

She sighs, but doesn't deny it and waves him on. "You get three questions."

"Were you ever going to tell us about being a slayer?" Jane blurts, hurt now evident in her features.

Seeing it, Darcy gulps. "No. I mean, if it came down to it in a life or death situation then yeah, but I don't like using my skills."

"How old were you when this _destiny_ was thrust upon you?" Thor frowns.

"Eighteen," she says as she shifts from foot to foot. "I had just graduated high school and was packing up for college when I- I felt this _rush_ of power and confidence and everything I could have used when I was younger. And the next thing I know there are these robed men with no eyes and mouths sewn shut chasing after me, but Buffy and a handful of other slayers got to me in time and explained what was happening.

"They told me- they told me about the First Evil and how all future slayers had been activated at once to help them save the world. And well, when the weight of the world is set on your shoulders you can't exactly walk away. They trained me up and I followed Buffy into hell. We barely made it out with our lives and I knew I couldn't do that again so I begged out and went on with my life."

"They why help now?" Steve asks.

"The goodness of you all have rubbed off on me, I guess. I've been living comfortably and then Buffy herself comes out of retirement for this and seeks me out, so who am I to hide away in Stark's tower and not help? It's my destiny, remember?"

"But you slayers aren't the only people capable of fighting evil now," Pepper says. "You don't have to do it alone. Heck, you don't have to do it at all if you don't want to!"

Darcy grins feebly. "Easier said than done, Pep. Now if you all are done, I'd really like to head to my floor now. I'm really tired."

"Of course," Steve steps in before anyone else can toss out another question, and just as Darcy is turning he calls out once more. "And just so you know, we're glad you made it back. But next time, try not to keep such a big secret from us."

The real easy going grin is back and Darcy mock salutes him. "Aye, aye, Captain."

* * *

 **Just so you guys know, I've been putting up some sets for these ficlets over on my Polyvore. I'm "crossxover" on Polyvore.**


	9. Jurassic World

"Ah, Lewis! Just the gal-pal I was looking for."

Darcy looks up from transcribing Jane's notes, eyes narrowing. "What do you want, Tony? You're well aware you're still banned from Janie's part of the lab, aren't you?"

"Ban _schman_ ," he scoffs. "I'm not here to tinker and better Foster's creations. I'm here for you."

"Mhm. That's still mildly concerning," she mutters. "What's up?"

"I just inherited two islands-"

"..okay?"

"-of dinosaurs!"

".."

".."

"Tony, no."

"Tony, yes!" He cackles. "Apparently Simon Masrani was a family friend and in the event of his death, he left his acquired property of both Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar to the only person he knew wouldn't bring a bad name to the islands. A Stark!"

Darcy groans and pinches the bridge of her nose. "This is such a bad idea."

"Says you, but that's beside the point. What I came in here to gloat about is not only my land of dinosaurs, but the fact that I recently learned that you have sisters! And one sister-"

"Oh, God."

"-just happens to be someone who worked at Jurassic World when things went to shit." Darcy groans yet again and Tony beams. "First of all, how are you related to Miss Dearing when you look nothing alike and second, can you get me in touch with her?"

Darcy glares at Tony, but after composing herself, she heaves a sigh. "One," she counts off on her fingers. "-I'm adopted and my last name is not up for discussion. And two, no!"

"Come on, Lewis!" He pouts. "I'm desperate here. Stark Industries is going to rebuild Isla Nublar and clean up Isla Sorna. We're gonna make it more secure and who better than the lady who practically ran it before?!"

"Uh, it went to shit before, remember?" Darcy scoffs.

"Yeah, but that's because HYDRA infiltrated Ingen. Trust me, kid, it's not gonna be like before. Hell, it won't even be open to the public," he wheedles. "It'll be a sanctuary for the dinosaurs already living there.. and the island might even become SHIELD's new home base since they're not exactly welcomed anywhere else," he then rushes out.

Darcy stares and Tony stares right back, and their stare-off continues for a handful of minutes. Eventually, Darcy groans and lets her head fall back. "What the hell," she sighs. "I'll give Claire a call, but I can't guarantee anything else."

"Yes!"

* * *

As it turns out, Claire wants nothing to do with the island. She had laughed for three minutes straight and then outright scoffed when Darcy told her the plans for Isla Sorna and Nublar, and declined any job offering Tony Stark had for her. However, after pleading with her some, Darcy does get a name and phone number for one Owen Grady who might be a little more than interested in returning back to that _hell hole-_ Claire's words, not Darcy's. And not so surprisingly, Owen agrees to catch the next flight out only for Tony to hijack the phone call and shoo Darcy from the line. She listens long enough to hear Tony mention a quinjet pick-up for Mr. Grady, and then hangs up to seek out Jane for any work that needs to be done.

A few days after that, and Tony's back to bothering Darcy yet again.

"Lewis! Just the gal-"

"No."

"What?"

"No, Tony," she says, ignoring him and continues on making herself a sandwich. "The last time you started off with that exact _Lewis!_ bull crap, you told me you inherited islands full of dinosaurs. So, no. I don't wanna hear it."

"Come on, Lewis, I need your assistance here. I need a handler for when visiting Isla Nublar later today."

Admitting that he needs a handler is enough to give Darcy pause, she then finally looking up and meeting his gaze. "Where's Pepper?"

"Business meeting in Tokyo and Cap's working with the Widow on some secret agenda of theirs."

"Clint?"

Rolling his eyes, Tony sighs. "We all know Barton will only encourage my antics, Bruce doesn't want to risk a hulk-out, and Barnes' people skills are still severely lacking. Come on, Lewis, you're my only hope."

"Ugh, Tony," she whines. "I wasn't interested in visiting that island when it was up and running, so what makes you think I want to go now after the dinosaurs have broken loose?"

"Uh, the fact that there are _baby_ dinosaurs in need of some affection." Darcy flashes him a still unimpressed look and Tony caves. "Alright, fine, so there might also be a huge bonus in it for you. I mean, you are travelling to an island of dinosaurs. I have to compensate you somehow in case something does happen, but I'm gonna try my damnedest to make sure nothing does."

Another stare-off ensues and Darcy caves yet again. "Fine.. fine! I'm in. What time do we leave?"

"As soon as you pack yourself a bag for a week's stay," Tony beams. "Your schedule is clear, and Barton and Barnes already left to go pick up Owen Grady who will be meeting us on the island."

"Joy," she deadpans. "Give me thirty minutes."

 **xXx**

For hours, Darcy deals with Clint and Tony's lame jokes via comm unit as she sits with Tony up in the cockpit as he pilots. Clint's over the moon about seeing a dinosaur face to face, even more so at the thought of actually getting to touch one should they come across one that has yet to be wrangled.

"Don't be stupid, Hawkass. As soon as I realized just what I inherited, I sent a team capable of wrangling the dinosaurs for containment. The only ones yet to be caught is the T-Rex because she doesn't want to be found and the raptor. That girl is proving to be a tricky little devil."

"Oh, God," Darcy moans. "I'm gonna die and there's gonna be nothing left of me to bury."

Clint cackles over the comm, Tony snorts, and Bucky's raspy voice can be heard through the comm unit.

" _Don't worry, doll. I got your back_."

Tony then gasps and stares at Darcy. "How do you get him to do that? He never speaks to anyone besides Cap!" Darcy slowly smirks and shrugs, and Tony instantly comes to a conclusion when she doesn't say anything. "You two are doing the do, aren't you?"

This time, it's Bucky who snorts over the comm and Darcy who cackles. A few minutes of downright laughing makes Tony pout and then when she's able to breathe again, Darcy shakes her head. "You're joking, right? I don't know about you, but Steve does not look like he likes to share. I rather not earn the good Captain's ire should he find out I'm hitting on _his_ boyfriend."

Tony squawks and wonders how the hell he missed _that,_ and the rest of the ride is pretty much Clint cracking jokes and Bucky grumbling.

 **xXx**

On the island, Darcy is honestly surprised that nothing has leapt out and eaten her the second she's stepped foot off the jet. She's also surprised at how beautiful the greenery is and how peaceful the island seems given the fact it houses such deadly creatures.

Tony and Clint meet up quick enough, and Darcy finds some comfort in the fact that Bucky's taken to being her shadow for the time being.

There's a rather large team of hired help walking about- cleaning up and rebuilding- but Tony leads them to the Hotel that is surprisingly still standing with no damage done to it. Inside the large building appears brand new once more, everything shiny and bright and inviting. People are walking up to Tony with clipboards in hand, but he merely waves them away without a second thought.

"I am so sorry," Darcy ends up telling each clipboard holding minion. "He doesn't like to be handed things and I'm currently his handler. If you just give me these," she says and she takes hold of each clipboard. "-I'll get his signature for you and bring them back to the front desk as quickly as possible."

Some people are relieved to have Darcy take charge, but others are obviously annoyed to not be dealing with Tony himself. At least they're annoyed up until the moment they realize the Winter Soldier is glaring at them. Then as soon as the minions scamper off, Darcy chuckles and beckons Bucky to follow her.

"Lets go, Soldier. If you can glare Tony into submission, I'll bake the biggest chocolate cake when I get my hands on some ingredients for you."

He flashes her a faint smirk and nods, and Darcy turns on her heel to go find Tony.

Raucous laughter clues Darcy in to where her two wandering boys are, she following the noise to a fancy dining room where three men are seated at a rectangular table. The guest of honor has his back to her, so Darcy marches up to Tony and Clint without a faltering step and smacks each of them across the back of the head.

Both Tony and Clint flinch and yelp, and it's Clint who rubs the back of his head while mock glaring at Darcy. "Not cool, Lewis."

"What's not cool is you stepping foot off the quinjet and screaming _Caw, caw, motherfucker!_ at the top of your lungs." Someone snorts, but Darcy ignores it and turns to Tony. "And you- you need to sign these right now," she says as she tosses the clipboards atop the table in front of him. "I don't want no bullshit, Stark, so start signing!"

"Rude," he sniffs, but reaches for the clipboards to start flipping through pages.

Someone whistles lowly- clearly impressed- and Darcy finally glances up, her gaze landing on quite the attractive man grinning at her. Light brown hair is cropped short with just the hint of a curl, and a light amount of scruff covers the bottom half of his face. Green eyes sparkle in amusement as Darcy continues stare, and her gaze falls from his pretty face and down to the chest hair just peeking out from the opened buttons of a light blue henley shirt.

 _Jesus! Claire didn't tell me board shorts and tequila dude was hot,_ she thinks. Or at least, she thought she did.

The guest of honor's grin widens even as the tips of his ears burn red. "..uh, thank you?"

This time, Tony snorts though he's smart enough to keep his gaze down on the papers in front of him and continues signing his name in all the appropriate places. Clint, however, manages a shit eating grin.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Darcy closes her eyes in humiliation.

"Yes, yes you did," Clint gleefully informs her the same moment Owen asks, "Wait, you know Claire?"

"Mhm," she hums. "Claire's my sister," she then tells him while meeting his gaze like the adult she is.

"Adopted, actually," Tony informs him. "-but don't ask. She says it's complicated."

"Okay," the guy drawls. Then looking back at Darcy, he grins again. "Name's Owen, by the way. Just thought I'd get that out of the way so you wouldn't go around calling me _board shorts_ or something." Darcy blushes, but Owen continues right on. "Which, by the way, I only showed up in board shorts for that date because this island gets humid as hell. And tequila.. who doesn't like tequila?!"

"Here, here!" Tony and Clint lightly slap the table in front of them in agreement, and Darcy rolls her eyes though she's smirking now.

"Fair," she tells him. "And I'm not saying I agree with Claire. I just found it hilarious the way you can get her all riled up. And also, lets not mention to my sister that I called her ex _hot._ "

Owen scoffs. "Ex? One doomed date and an adrenaline filled kiss after a life threatening experience does not constitute us as being an _item_ which, therefore, we are not ex's."

"Which also means you can ogle away without breaking girl code," Clint says.

"Barton!" Darcy snaps. "I swear to God, one more word.."

When Darcy glances back at Owen, she finds that his grin is looking rather.. forced. And when she really pays attention, she notices that his attention his not on her, but rather over her head and behind her. Right where Bucky is standing rather silently.

"Uh, agent Barton," Owen mutters. "Maybe you wanna not tell the Winter Soldier's girlfriend to ogle another man right in front of him. I wanna live to see another day."

Tony barks out a sudden laugh, Darcy groans, Bucky's lips twitch in amusement, and Clint cackles.

"Don't worry, you dinosaur whisperer. Bucky's actually Steve's butt buddy. You're good to lay it down on Darce."

"Barton!" Darcy yells.

"What? It's true," he laughs and is a bit distracted by Darcy's glare to see Bucky whip a dagger at him, he only dodging out of the way with a split second to spare.

"Hey! Not cool, Barnes. Not cool."

"Oh my God," Owen mumbles. "What am I getting myself into?"

"A whole lotta fun, Grady," Tony says after signing his last paper. Gathering all the clipboards together, he picks them up before standing and directs a pleased smirk at his newest employee. "Welcome to Stark Industries where we like to blow shit up on occasion."

* * *

The following morning, Darcy steps out onto the small balcony her hotel room offers and immediately backpedals back into her room. "It's too humid to function," she whines quietly.

Still half asleep, she then goes through the motions of pawing through her suitcase for suitable clothes and then showering in the coolest water her body will allow without her teeth chattering. She wrings out as much water from her hair as possible then lets it air dry, pulls on an Cheshire cat tank top that reads _We're All Mad Here,_ and a pair of cut-off denim shorts. She then manages to wrangle her hair up into a damp ponytail and pulls on black Converse on her feet. Then making sure her phone is in her back pocket, Darcy leaves her room to head on down and to find her way to Security Headquarters where she can see what's going on around the island on the humongous screens they have in there.

Unfortunately, she only makes it to the lobby of the hotel where Tony intercepts her and then proceeds to ask her to go and retrieve Owen from his bungalow.

"Ugh, do I have to? Where's Clint? Or Bucky?"

"Clint's off exploring like the five year old he secretly is and Barnes is off getting his morning jog in."

"Ugh," She scoffs again. "Whatever. Just give me directions and car."

"There are currently no cars on the island, kid. Sorry."

"I am not walking in this humidity, Stark."

"No, no. We have ATV's," he says, digging into his pocket for a set of keys. "Your's is the pretty blue and purple one outside. Hop on and follow the North trail. You can't miss the lone bungalow out there."

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbles and snatches the keys from Tony's hand. "I guess I'll see you soon then."

Darcy starts the ATV with ease, she having had practice with one in her younger years and finds the trail easy enough. The rumbling ATV and the uneven terrain makes for a surprisingly calm ride, and Owen's bungalow comes into view far too soon. However, as Darcy cuts the engine and climbs off before pocketing the keys, the body of sparkling water next to Owen's place proves to be even more calming.

She walks as close to the water as she can get without fear of falling in, and despite the humidity and annoying gnats and man eating dinosaurs, Darcy smiles as she drinks in the scenery. Minutes pass of absolute calm and singing birds off in the distance, but all calm must come to an end.

To her right, clicking sounds. She hears the spine-tingling, spine-straightening of several more clicks before a low threatening hiss makes her squeak and jump in fear. As she takes several steps to her left in blind panic, she catches sight of a freakin' velociraptor standing there. Heart pounding madly and throat tight with fear and welling emotion, Darcy silently curses Tony and the island, and prays that this raptor is not about to make a meal out of her.

" _Good_ , scary dino," she mutters. "Darcy friend, not food."

She continues to slowly take steps back, eyes on the hissing and clicking raptor in front of her. Her knees are bent as her attempt to make herself seem smaller, and her hands are out in front of her as if the dinosaur can tell that she means no threat to it. One step after the other, Darcy prays for the dinosaur to somehow become uninterested in her, but she miraculously manages the complete opposite.

A simple rock proves to be her downfall, her ankle twisting painfully as she attempts to keep herself standing. Tears spring to her eyes, she bites her bottom lip hard to keep from shouting and starting the raptor even further, and she only stumbles some while putting most of her weight on her good ankle.

"Ow, ow, ow," she mumbles. Coming to a stop, Darcy breathes heavily through her nose and watches as the raptor stops it's hissing and clicking, and tilts it's head at her in a curious manner. "Good, dino. Very good, dino," she says as she tries putting weight on her injured ankle. But the pressure proves to be too much and Darcy hisses while shifting her weight back to the good one. "Oh, God, I'm gonna die," she finally concedes defeat.

"Darcy? _Darcy!_ "

"Grady," she sighs in relief. The raptor gets agitated once more, the hissing and clicking coming back as Darcy hears Owen running in their direction. "Owen, stop!" She yells when the raptor takes a step towards her in a crouched position, it's dangerously clawed hands grasping thin air in agitation. "You're pissing her off."

"Blue, stand down!" He yells instead. "Blue!" The raptor blinks at Darcy before turning it's head towards Owen, it crouching low once again and screeching at him in the only way a raptor can. Smartly, Owen skids to a stop just a few feet away from Darcy, eyes wide and his hands held out at his sides. "Blue," he pleads. "Come on, girl. Stand down. Don't do this."

Blue rears her head back, still clicking as if speaking to them. Darcy whimpers as she tries to take another step back and Blue zones in on her. The raptor seems to lose some tension from her body, and easily closes the space between herself and Darcy with a couple bouncing steps.

"Oh, God," Darcy squeaks and slams her eyes shut, body rigid when the feels the dinosaur brush up against her. Owen sucks in a breath sharply, but as Darcy waits for the inevitable tearing apart of her flesh to happen, silence lingers. Seconds pass and then she feels a snout nudge her hand. Cracking open an eye, Darcy finds herself side to side with the velociraptor named Blue. "Oh, God," she says again. "Owen?"

"Yeah?"

"What do I do?"

"..I have no idea, Miss Lewis," he breathes in awe. "I've never seen her willingly touch a human before."

Again, Blue nudges Darcy, but this time she crouches low enough until Darcy lifts her arm and settles it atop the dinosaur. Then slowly, Blue takes a step forward and chirps at Darcy when she doesn't take that step with her.

"What is she doing?"

"I think- I think she's trying to walk you," Owen realizes. "She's acting as a crutch," he says when Blue chirps at Darcy again.

Bewildered, Darcy gapes at the dinosaur. "Seriously? You're pissy because I'm injured?" Blue trills and takes another step while glancing back at Darcy, and the brunette chuckles in disbelief. "Unbelievable."

As Darcy limps next to Blue with her arm draped around the dinosaur's neck, Owen gapes at the sight up until Darcy's in arms reach. When he grasps her forearms to steady her, Blue trills again before leaving Darcy's side and coming up behind her only to nudge her forward and into Owen's arms.

"Oh.. okay, then," Darcy snorts, heart still pounding. "Is she always this pushy?"

"Never like this. She and her sisters always attacked," Owen admits. "They never approached me, let alone let me touch them without snarling. When the Indominus got loose they actually turned on me, but Blue eventually came to her senses and protected us in the end."

"So in other words, I should be a meal right about now. Question is: why aren't I?"

"Your guess is a good as mine," he shrugs. Owen glances at Blue still at Darcy's back and grins. "Good girl, Blue. Thank you for not eating my friend. When I get my hands on some food, I'll be sure to give you a big portion."

As if understanding him word for word, Blue hops from foot to foot in excited anticipation.

Feet pounding on the hard ground makes everyone perk up, especially Blue who circles Owen and Darcy before standing guard in front of them. Bucky, of all people, appears and slows his run down to a complete stop, his eyebrows hitching at the sight of the crouching velociraptor.

"There are a few baby dinosaurs wandering about North from here," he rasps, gaze trained on the raptor before him. "Leaf eaters, I think. Called out Barton to scoop them up."

"Good.. good," Darcy shakily smiles. "Uh, Bucky, meet Blue. Blue," she says and shakily places a hand on her scaly back. "-this is Bucky. He's a friend. Don't eat."

Bucky snorts, but remains stock still. A strand of sweat damp hair falls into his eyes and not even that is enough to make him move a muscle. "You another dinosaur whisperer?"

"Hardly," Darcy grins. "She took a liking to me for some reason. I literally saw my life flash before my eyes several times before she decided to befriend me."

"This is.. insane."

"You're telling me."

Owen finally laughs, startling Blue, but the raptor merely clicks at him in displeasure before trotting up towards Bucky and nosing at his metal arm in a curious manner.

* * *

A week passes with Darcy waking up at the butt crack of dawn and working her magic around the island. Of course, that's only after she's had at least two large mugs of coffee and gets in her morning bitching at Tony for waking her so early. But when it's all set and done, Darcy's mind is set on the work still needing to be done around the island and she has no problem bossing people around or making Tony sign things.

Owen tends to follow her after corralling Blue back into her paddock, but she's only willing to be put back in there after she's had her morning run with Bucky. And that's another thing! Blue's interest in Bucky did not go unnoticed, and Clint pouted for two whole days when Blue refused to be petted by him as well as anyone who wasn't Owen, Darcy, or Bucky.

"So we're about wrapped up here," Tony says, speaking into his cell phone and completely ignoring everyone around him. "Mhm. Things are going according to plan." Pause. "Yeah. Love you, too. I'll see you in two days."

Owen frowns as he watches Tony Stark pocket his phone, his gaze then travelling to the woman who he grew close to over the past week. While he knew Stark and the people he came with would eventually be leaving, he didn't expect it to be so soon.

"Hey, boss man," Darcy calls out, spinning around in her chair from behind the main keyboard that controlled the humongous screen at the front of the room. "-we leaving already?"

Glancing away from trying to stick a plastic spoon into a dozing Clint's mouth, Tony suddenly looks guilty. But when Darcy narrows her eyes suspiciously, he pastes on a beaming smile. "Actually, _we're_ leaving," he says as he points to himself, Clint, and the ever watchful Bucky at the back of the room. "-and you, I'm hoping you'll stay and take over the islands for me in my absence."

Eyes now wide, Darcy squeaks, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Lets be real, kid, you're wasting away being stuck in the labs and playing gopher for us at the tower. You can do good here what with being the island's Park Operation Manager."

"What?!"

Clint jerks awake only to find Owen, Bucky, and the few other stragglers working in the room staring between Darcy and Tony. "Uh, what'd I miss?"

His question goes unanswered, but Tony continues to speak and he gets his answer soon enough.

"At first I wanted you to be the liaison between SHIELD and the Avengers because you run a tight ship when you want to, but when Lowery Cruthers refused to be the P.O.M, I figured you'd be better suited to this position especially after watching you take over this past week."

"But- but Jane!" She practically yells. "Jane's my responsibility and I don't even know this park's system well enough to operate it."

"Jane thought you'd say that," Tony smirks. "-and I hate to break it to 'ya, Darcy-Lou, but she knows that I was going to offer this position to you and actually thought this was a good idea." He lets that sink in before telling her the rest. "And while Mr. Lowery refused the job position, he did agree to come and teach you the systems until you've got it all down. From there, you can start building your own team of minions to help out keeping track of what's going on around the island."

Darcy gapes, this being too much all too soon. But as she watches Tony stare at her with complete honestly and not a trace of his usual joking demeanor present, she understands that all he's doing is trying to help her. She's not blind- she knows she's wasting away playing lab gopher for the scientists, but she enjoys it. Somewhat, at least. And this- this opportunity to stay on the scary Isla Nublar is quite amazing.

She glances at Owen who's gaze might actually be _pleading_ for her to stay (really guys, she's not stupid. She's seen the way Owen looks at her), to Clint who's smirking in encouragement at her, and then to Bucky who actually looks.. pensive? But then Tony's clearing his throat and Darcy's gaze is snapping back to him.

"Well? I know it's short notice, but I need an answer now to start letting the others know who's going to be in charge."

"I-" Her mouth opens, but her voice cuts out. "I- yes..? Yeah. I'll- I'll do it."

"If Darcy stays, I stay." All gazes then snap to Bucky- he who's just pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning against. "And not as personal security either," he tells them. "This past week, being here has let me find some semblance of peace. I already spoke to Steve and he agrees that getting out of the States is the best option for me right now."

"Whoa, Barnes," Clint shakes his head. "The _best_ option? I thought you were fitting in pretty good back at home. What's the problem?"

"It's not a problem, not really," he shrugs. "But I can't leave the tower without people ogling or running scared. I still have a long road ahead of me and this island is helping. I'd like to stay here."

"Wow," Tony breathes. "That is the most I've ever heard you talk in one sitting." Bucky's open expression turns into a glower that's directed at Tony, and Tony grins while holding his hands up in surrender. "If you wanna stay, that's fine. You want a job, too, or you just looking to lounge about?"

He shrugs again. "Security detail is fine. I'm good with taking orders from Mr. Grady if that's what it takes for the job."

"Then that settles it!" Tony claps his hands and rubs them together. "Lewis and Grady are running the island, and Bucky is doing what he does best."

"Not killing. Protecting!" Clint's quick to throw out which earns him a doughnut aimed for his head. "What?" He feigns innocence. "I'm just clarifying."

"Hilarious," Darcy deadpans before looking to Bucky. "And Barnes, I'm glad you're staying. It'll be nice to have a familiar face around."

When all is said and done, and the Security Room is cleared out except for Darcy and Owen, the two breath a sigh of relief.

"So.. you're staying."

"You don't say," she drawls, laughing. Owen laughs with her, cheeks turning the loveliest shades of red. "So I guess it's you and me, dino-dad. Think Blue will still like me if I stick around for the long haul?"

He's looking at her- really looking at her- and his eyes crinkle around the corners. "Yeah. I even think she'll grow to love you."

This times, it's Darcy who's doing the blushing.

* * *

 **Just so you guys know, I have a polyvore account where I post outfits for these characters- in this case, Darcy! So if you're interested, head on over there. Just search for "crossxover" and there you go.**


	10. The Walking Dead (Take 2)

Darcy's doing her normal rounds of feeding the Scientists and making sure they're taking their breaks when Maria Hill seeks her out.

"Lewis!" She calls out, sticking her head into Doctor Foster's lab. "Still interested in some fresh air?"

The woman in question perks up, grinning, whereas Jane frowns at the idea of her friend leaving the tower. "Uh, yeah! What's the sitch?"

"Walk with me."

Jane makes her displeasure known for Darcy leaving the safety of the tower, but Darcy merely waves off her friend's concern. "I'll be fine, Janie. Promise! Now get back to work. I'll see you before we leave."

The petite astrophysicist pouts and whines, but the curvaceous brunette laughs as she hurriedly follows after Maria. Catching up to the older woman, Darcy grins at her. "What's going on?"

"An old HYDRA facility in Washington, D.C has just been brought back online." Maria brings up her Stark tablet from where she had it gripped by her hip, she then tapping away at the screen to show Darcy aerial views of where she'll be going. "We don't have access to the cameras inside, but their motion detectors have been going off like crazy."

"The undead couldn't have just busted down a glass door or something?"

Maria shrugs. "They could have, but would the dead be able to start turning on the electricity?"

"Ah. I see."

"Yeah. While we are aware people are just trying to survive nowadays, we can't take the risk of these people actually being HYDRA and starting up their work again."

"Okay. So who's on the team?"

"Just you, Cap, the Sarge, and a few of the legionnaires," Maria tells her. "The boys will be dealing with the individuals responsible for this trip and determining whether or not they're threats, and you'll be tasked with being the friendly face and food supplier if it turns out they're good people."

"And if they're not good people?" By now, she and Maria have made it to the tower's pantry where a group of workers are packing a few boxes full of food and drinks.

"If they're HYDRA, they'll be brought in as usual and locked away until pickup. But if they're regular bad people, they'll be sedated and stripped of their weapons before being dropped off in the Dead Zone with only a week's worth of supplies. The good folks will be coming home with you."

Darcy nods, lips pursed in thought. "Sounds easy. When do we leave?"

"Wheels up in an hour. You're in charge of getting the supplies needed onto the quinjet and then you need to change into the appropriate clothing."

"Good deal, boss. I won't let you down."

 **xXx**

With the new and improved quinjets- _thanks, Tony!_ \- the flight from Manhattan to Washington, D.C is just under thirty minutes. Darcy waited patiently in her seat, checking her rifle and then absentmindedly braiding her hair over her shoulder just to give herself something to do.

The facility soon comes into view, but Bucky flies right over it and Darcy grins as the engines quiet to a nearly indistinguishable purr. They land just on the other side of the woods that sits at the facility's back- a good ways away from said facility- and lower the jet's ramp so three guards from Tony's Iron Legion march on out to secure a perimeter.

"Keep an ear out on the comms," Steve tells her. He, Bucky, and Darcy stand at the edge of the ramp, listening as repulsors whir and shoot at what they know are the undead walking around. "We're going to go in and secure everyone as quickly and delicately as possible so they know we're not the bad guys here."

"Roger that."

He huffs at her little display of saluting him and Bucky chuckles before getting into the mindset of the Soldier to follow the Captain into the facility. The two men soon leave when the Legionnaires return to the jet, two of them keeping watch outside the jet while the other walks up to Darcy's side and stands guard.

Pacing back and forth a handful of minutes later, the only sound Darcy can hear is that of the leaves rustling outside and the thumping of her boots inside the jet. For a good while, it's complete silence and then a couple gunshots ring out, freezing Darcy in place. It's absolute silence then, except for the rustling leaves, and Darcy's heart is practically in her throat. Her stomach fills with dread and just when she's about to send the Iron Legion in after her boys, the comm in her ear crackles to life.

 _"The facility is safe to enter."_

"Copy that, Captain."

 _"And, Sparky? Bring the supplies with you. There are two children involved."_

"Jesus," Darcy swears. "How old?" She asks, already shouldering her rifle and bending down to pick up a box of food and drinks.

 _"One appears mid-teens and the other can't be older than two."_

Her eyes close, she mentally sighing at the thought of children still roughing it nowadays, especially at the thought of a child being born into this world. "Okay.. okay. I'm taking one guard with me. I'll be right in."

 _"Copy that,"_ Steve muses. _"Don't be worried if you don't see Buck and I at first. We're taking the two men who both admitted to being the leader of this group and questioning them in separate rooms."_

"Got it. Over and out, Cap."

When Steve doesn't say anything else, Darcy heaves a sigh and readjusts her grip on the box in her arms. She looks to the Iron guard at her side, nodding at it and then gesturing with her head for it to follow. "Iron Dude, you're with me." The metal of it's feet thump along behind Darcy, following as told, and then she addresses the other two standing guard of the quinjet. "And you two," she glances between them. "-don't let anyone on or near our ride."

The Iron Legion nod their assent, the repulsors in the palm of their hands whirring as they stand guard. Darcy grins at them and continues on, walking confidently with the third legionnaire at her back. Her nose wrinkles as she comes upon the undead which are truly dead now, and she thinks back to the time when she once had to get up close and personal with the walking dead. But now living in Manhattan, she lives in absolute safety and hasn't had to get her clothes bloody in a long while.

The trek through the woods is an easy and quick one since she doesn't have to worry about shooting or stabbing the undead through the head- the legionnaire taking care of them for her if one stumbles too close- and she grimaces at the facility when it comes into view.

How could something so plain looking once house HYDRA and all their villainous plans?

The legionnaire generously opens the door for Darcy, she smirking at it's face knowing full well that Natasha is watching through the camera from her place back at the tower. The entrance room is surprisingly clean with the exception of dust covering everything and the only signs of an evacuation are the papers littering the floor and the overturned chairs. She continues walking through the winding halls, straining her ears for the muffled voices she can hear and following them until they get clearer and clearer. Eventually she comes upon a hall with quite the amount of people sitting against the wall- all with their wrists zip-tied and ankles duct taped together.

She snorts, gaining quite a few head turns and sheepishly grins. "Bucky went overboard with the tape again, I see." Her little quip earns a few glares and huffs, and she continues to walk closer, stepping over outstretched legs. But while she gets a few glares, the legionnaire gets quite a few fearful stares.

"I thought Captain America was a good guy?" A redheaded, surly man says.

"He is. _We_ are," Darcy shrugs. "It's not our fault you broke into a facility that once housed HYDRA- the organization that caused this shit storm of a planet we live on now. If you are good guys, you have nothing to worry about. Answer all questions honestly and you're golden, pony boy."

" _Darcy-Lou?_ "

Darcy startles, trips over a pair of legs and drops the box she had been clutching like a life line. Heart pounding in her ears, Darcy's wide eyes search the curious expressions now directed at her until she lands on a rather familiar- yet aged- face staring at her in awe and shock.

" _Carl?!_ "

Had she been paying attention to everyone else, Darcy would have seen every unfriendly expression vanish- slow smiles taking their places and bodies slumping in relief. But as Carl's expression breaks out in a grin and he laughs quite hysterically, Darcy dives and falls to her knees in front of him and wraps her arms around him.

Knocking the Sheriff's hat from his head, Darcy half sobs/half laughs. "What are you- how are you even here right now?! Where have you been?!"

"It's a long, _long_ story," he chuckles.

Darcy pulls back, hands planted on his shoulders as she takes in his clearly malnourished presence. He's appears a lot taller and older from when she's last seen him, and after accepting the fact that he's right before her eyes, Darcy's hand falls to a blade that's holstered at her hip. She quickly cuts through the binds at his wrists and ankles, and pauses to briefly cast a glance at the rest of the people lined up against the wall who are staring at her with amused expressions.

"They're not, you know, gonna kill me if we cut them loose, right? I mean, Nat's watching from back home," she gestures at the legionnaire standing behind her and staring at each individual. "-and trust me, you guys do not want the Black Widow hunting you down to avenge my death."

"You know Avengers," Carl breathes in awe. "Your life is so cool." Darcy stares at him expectantly, eyebrow raising in amusement until Carl clears his throat and nods. "Yeah, no, these people are good. Promise," he smiles.

Nodding once, Darcy retrieves another knife from her hip and hands it Carl- the both of them setting out to cut everyone else's binds. Once free, everyone's rubbing their wrists and standing to their feet, warily.

"So, uh, I heard a few gunshots," Darcy nervously muses. "Who was the unluckily idiot that shot at Captain America and the Winter Soldier?"

"What makes you think they didn't shoot at us?" The same surly redhead from before answers.

"Uh, because we really are the good guys," she snorts. "And let me guess, it was you, wasn't it? You're a little too defensive."

"Yeah, well, that metal armed dick clocked me something fierce," he grumbles.

Some of the group chuckle while others are curiously staring at the box they can now see contains food, and Darcy hurriedly explains that the food is for them. Some waste no time in diving for the food to divide it up among themselves, and Carl's quick to introduce Darcy to everyone present.

She meets Michonne- a dark skinned woman with dreads and a katana strapped to her back who hovers a little too closely to Carl- and Glenn and Carol who were apparently part of the first group Carl had stayed with when the world went crazy. Then there's Maggie who had lived on a farm and offered Carl and the others a place to stay, and Sasha, Abraham, Rosita, Tara, Eugene, and Father Gabriel.

Michonne's the one to ask how Carl and Darcy know each other, and Carl confesses that Darcy is his cousin- his mother's niece. Understanding dawns on quite a few faces as some others turn sympathetic. But before Darcy can question what that's all about, Carl's grasping Darcy's hand and drags her down the hall. "Come on! Dad will be so stoked to see you!"

"Where is your dad?"

"Captain America took him and Judy to another room- Judy's my sister, by the way," he says and doesn't give a startled Darcy a chance to ask questions. "The Winter Soldier took Daryl, too, but they're in another room."

Carl barges into one of the room's, dragging Darcy along with him and completely ignoring the shouts of Captain America.

"Darcy, what the hell?!"

But she, too, ignores Captain America and instead freezes upon setting her sights on the man with a salt-n-pepper beard and curly hair slicked back with sweat atop his head. Not even the cooing baby is enough to grab her attention.

Seeing her reaction, Steve steps closer while cautiously glancing at everyone else present. "Uh, Darcy? You okay?"

"He's my family, Steve. _They're_ my family," she then amends while turning her gaze on him. "Steve," she half sob/half laughs again, a smile lighting up her features and tears making her blue eyes sparkle behind her glasses. "This is my uncle and cousins. They're my family!"

Steve's then struck speechless, he gaping as he watches the little reunion. His friend is quickly engulfed in a hug by the man he'd just been interrogating, and the teenage boy is now cradling the toddler to his chest as he laughs at his family.

"It's really you," the man- Rick, as he introduced himself- mumbles. "Where- _how?_ "

"I roll with superheroes now, uncle Rick," Darcy mutters into his shoulder. "I-" She pauses then, planting her hands on Rick's chest and pushing back so she can peer over her shoulder at Steve. "Permission to tell my family where I've been, Captain?"

Rick startles at his niece's sudden change in demeanor, he gulping as he watches Captain America straighten and give Darcy a terse nod. "Permission granted, Sparky."

Carl snorts at the nickname and Darcy grins as she turns back to her uncle. "I was with my friend, Jane Foster, in Asgard with Thor," she admits. "Time works differently in that realm and by the time we returned back to Earth, the virus had taken hold of the entire planet."

"You were on another planet? Cool!" Carl remarks.

Darcy grins. "Something like that. Jane and I were stuck in New Mexico afterward, and after seeing how completely wrecked Earth was, Thor was whisked away against his will and banned from coming back down. We made do- I learned to defend ourselves since Janie is a Scientist and really isn't about violence- and the other Avengers eventually found us when Jane rigged up a portal to draw their attention. Since then, I've been staying in Stark Tower."

"What about your parents?" Rick asks, looking quite like he can't wrap his mind about what he's been told. "Did you look for them?"

"I did," Darcy confesses. Her bottom lip finds itself caught between her teeth, she frowning as she averts her gaze. "When Jane and I were taken to the tower, the first thing we were asked was if we had any family. A small team took Jane to look for hers and another team took me." She pauses here, clearing her throat nervously. "Mom and Dad, their vehicles were still in the driveway. The house was surprisingly in good shape and none of their belongings had been packed. We- I," she stammers, tears filling her eyes. "I went to their room and I found them. They- they, um-"

"Self inflicted gunshot wounds to the head," Steve says, coming up behind Darcy and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he then tells Rick who had startled at the revelation.

Rick takes a deep breath before nodding and then he's grasping Darcy's chin and making her look him in the eye. "I'm sorry, kid."

"I looked for you, too, you know. I went to your house, but it was ransacked. Looked like you and aunt Lori left in a hurry. Speaking of," she says and clears her throat before wiping the tears from her eyes. "Where is Lori? I didn't see her."

Rick's breathing stutters and Darcy sees yet another sympathetic expression directed towards her. Dread filling her, she looks to Carl, but he's now avoiding her gaze. "Oh, kid, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but-"

"How?" She croaks, already sniffling.

Steve suddenly clears his throat. "I'll, uh, I'll give you guys some privacy," he tells them. "And tell Bucky to cool it with your friend," he tells Rick. "I'm really sorry about all this."

"S'not a problem," Rick mentions. "You were just looking out. I understand."

Steve nods and makes his exit, and then it's Carl who answers Darcy's question.

"Childbirth," he admits and looks at the little girl in his arms. "Maggie had to perform an emergency c-section and Mom bled out."

Darcy's eyes close, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes that she's quick to wipe away. Rick pulls her into another hug, he muttering about how it's all going to be okay now- that they're all together- and Darcy sniffles some before pulling herself back together. Her gaze eventually lands on the baby- Judith, Carl tells her, but Judy for short- and Darcy soon finds her arms full of a gurgling baby.

"Come on," Darcy suddenly says as she watches Judith play with the tail end of her braid. "Steve and Bucky will explain a few things before we get going."

The reunited family make their way back to the rest of the group, they finding Captain America and the Winter Soldier standing stoically as the others mumble among themselves.

Seeing Darcy with the baby, Steve winks at her and Bucky smirks, and she easily flips them off with a scowl. "Don't even think about it. No. Just- no."

"Awe, but come on, Darce," Bucky drawls. "You look so good with a baby."

"Yeah, doll," Steve agrees.

Darcy glowers some more before passing Judith back to Rick. "Here. Take your daughter back. My boys are getting ideas and nope. Not happening."

Some of the group chuckle at what she's insinuating and Carl gets this starstruck, yet disgusted expression on his face. "My cousin.. and two supersoldiers. I'm torn between being proud and being weirded out because.. well, my cousin!" And now the group is full on laughing with the exception of Rick who's now staring down the two Avengers.

"As much as I like to see Rick get his panties all twisted up, what exactly is going on here?" Abraham demands.

A few others murmur in agreement and then Steve sobers up to give the group a quick run-down of what's going on. He apologizes for the scuffle and binds, but he tells them how it was a **must** since the facility they decided to take shelter in was an abandoned HYDRA facility. It also gets explained how HYDRA had developed a new organization they were hiding behind, so that when they released the virus that's currently ravishing the Earth, they could swoop in and save the day. Only the virus really took hold and HYDRA was too overwhelmed to do anything, and that's how the virus got so out of hand. Binding the survivors and interrogating them was just a precaution before they settled on what to do.

"Okay, so what happens now?" Carl asks. "You're not just gonna leave, are you?"

Darcy looks to her younger cousin and grins. "Well, after some mandatory blood tests to make sure no one's infected on a level of turning, I'm hoping you'll all come back to the tower with us."

"What?" Michonne asks.

"Yeah, what?" Rick gulps. "To Stark Tower?"

"Correct," she chuckles softly. "Tony built his own power source and the Avengers quarantined all of Manhattan, so all of Manhattan pretty much runs on Stark's energy. There's hot water, A.C for the summer, heating for the winter, and electricity to do whatever you please. There is literally no way in or out of Manhattan unless you're flying."

"And all you need is to run a blood test?" Glenn asks warily.

"Yep. We have the supplies in the jet out back. With the technology we have, your blood results will come up within minutes."

There are a lot of astonished expressions and gaping faces, but everyone eventually agrees to the blood test if it means absolute safety and no more running for their lives.

"Good," Captain America then says. Turning to the legionnaire, he commands," Iron Guard, lead the way back to the quinjet. And home base," he stares the guard directly in the eyes. "-have someone prepare an entire floor. We got Sparky's family and friends returning with us."

The legionnaire gives a nod of assent and then everyone's scrambling after it as it starts walking away. Daryl- the guy with a crossbow strapped to his back- bends down to pick up the box of food, and after explaining that it's for them, Rick's quick to find something edible for Judith and drinkable for him.

When the group gets closer to the quinjet's location, Darcy runs out to be in front and shout at the Iron Guards to stand down when their attention is honed in on the approaching group.

Darcy then immediately jogs up the ramp, pulling out all the supplies needed and waving everyone inside. Wary glances are cast all around the back of the jet, but no one says a thing. One by one, Darcy draws blood, labels the vials with their owner's names, and clicks them into place inside what appears to be a suitcase. Ping after ping, Darcy's alerted to the results and one by one, Darcy starts clearing everyone. One set of results, however, catch her attention and as Darcy's lips purse at what she's seeing, the rest of the group seem to grow anxious.

"Steve, Bucky, can you guys come here a sec?"

"What? What is it?" Rick finally asks, shifting from foot to foot. "Is someone infected?"

"Hmm? Oh, no," Darcy tells him when she sees how her reaction has freaked everyone else out. "I'm sorry, it's nothing bad. I just want to make sure I'm reading this right."

Some of the tension drains from the awaiting group, and as Steve and Bucky look at the screen and have a whispered conversation with Darcy, the others start growing anxious again. But then Darcy's smiling as the two men chuckle, and she looks out at the group. "Which one of you is Maggie again?"

"Oh, God," Glenn groans and grasps the woman's hand next to him. "What is it?"

Seeing Maggie is who Glenn had claimed as his wife, Darcy smiles at them before reaching for her bag and pulling out a granola bar. "Eat up, Momma," she says and tosses the bar at Maggie. "You're eating for two now."

* * *

 **The "dead zone" as Maria Hill mentioned early on is a secluded safe zone with a few strategically placed walkers around the place to spook the bad guys so they'd scamper off and hopefully turn over a new leaf. While the Avengers and Co. are not in the killing business, they had to come up with something for the bad guys instead of locking them up since HYDRA is carded off to parts unknown.**

 **Also, I know in TWD 'verse, everyone's already infected, but for the sake of this ficlet we'll just say that that's not the case and one only gets turned if bitten or the blood of the infected gets into you.**

 **And for those of you who are wondering, "WHAT?! THAT'S IT?! WHAT ABOUT THEIR REACTIONS TO BABY GREENE!", lets just say they're ecstatic about it. They're moving to Stark Tower where EVERYTHING works and they have scientists and doctors, so everything will be okay. Maggie will have an okay pregnancy.**


	11. Harry Potter

Avengers and Co. are in the middle of team game night (they seriously need to learn that playing Uno and Monopoly are not good ideas) when JARVIS interrupts.

 _"Sir, I believe I've stumbled across some rather very disturbing videos that are currently being uploaded to the internet."_

All the squabbling stops and Tony sits up just a little bit straighter. "Bring it up on a screen, J."

The window that gives off the magnificent view of the city below suddenly darkens, and grainy footage pops up. It's absolute chaos- fires are spewing from sources unseen and civilians are running while screaming for their lives. However, it's the red balls of light that are being shot from sources unseen that piques Darcy's interest.

Another video pops up, this one showcasing robed and masked figures marching down the street and shooting beams of light as well as fire from thin sticks. Jane gasps and reaches for Darcy's hand as Darcy's face seems to drain of all color. But the second the red light is replaced by balls of green and the civilians hit by the green light don't get back up, Darcy _sees_ red.

The Uno cards fall from her hand as she jumps to her feet, the rest of the room's occupants startling at the sudden movement and the obvious hostility emanating from Darcy's shaking form. Her hand reaches up for the rope necklace she's never once removed and she pulls forth a dangling coin. Grasping it in one hand, Darcy then forms a fist around it as she closes her eyes and thinks, _Stark Tower; Rooftop; Deatheaters._

Opening her hand, the coin is glowing and she hastily shoves it back inside her shirt while questions are immediately raised from Tony, Clint, and Steve.

"Don't panic, but we've got incoming," Darcy tells them, catching each of everyone's gaze. "Jane will explain." Then meeting the petite Astrophysicist's gaze, Darcy waits until she gets a nod and then stalks from the room.

As the elevator whisks her away, Jane kind of shrinks under everyone's heavy gaze, but then straightens her spine and lifts her chin. "You might all want to take a seat. After all that we've seen this won't be totally unbelievable, but it's still odd given that you've known Darcy for years and still haven't found this out."

Pepper, Natasha, and Thor are the only ones to immediately sit, the three of them making Tony, Steve, Bruce, and Clint sit with just pointed glares.

"Okay," Jane starts out. "Thor already knows all this because he sensed it long ago when we first met, so please don't be mad at him for keeping this secret."

"The suspense is killing me, Foster," Clint groans. "Get on with it, will 'ya?"

Jane glares at him and aims a kick at his shin, and she only connects because Natasha had jabbed her elbow into his ribs and distracted him. As Clint grumbles, Jane clears her throat and continues. "What Darcy's only told two people since starting her life over.. is that she comes from a magical community. She comes from very old money and very old blood."

Tony scoffs. "Are you saying Lewis is loaded and has been free-loading here for years?"

"Really?" Natasha drawls. "You focus on that instead of the _magical community_ part?"

He opens his mouth to retort, but promptly closes it. "Huh." Then looking back at Jane, he grins. "Do go on."

Jane rolls her eyes, but does as she's told. "Yes, Darcy's family fortune could actually rival Stark's, but she chooses not to tap into those funds because she's not on really good terms with her mother. You see, Darcy was part of a magical war at a very young age and was hated by many because of her pureblood status and the fact that her father was a supporter of the Dark Arts."

"Question," Bruce sheepishly raises a hand. "What's a pureblood?"

"A pureblood is a witch or wizard who's born to parents that are both magical," she quickly rattles off. "Half-bloods are born to one magical parent and one non-magical, and muggleborn witches/wizards are born to non-magical parents. Purebloods tend to get a lot of hate because they're normally considered Dark, but since Darcy went against that stereotype, other purebloods really took to hating her as well."

"Dark Arts is black magic, right?" Steve guesses.

"Right. An evil wizard was resurrected during Darcy's school years and he wanted muggleborns and muggles- non magic folk- pretty much extinguished from the face of the Earth. But where there's evil, there's good," Jane says. "A group that called themselves The Order rose up and fought this evil wizard- a fight that been led by a kid Darcy's age. Afterwards, when the good prevailed, Darcy's world was completely demolished in the aftermath of the war and especially when it came to light that her father was a deatheater- a witch or wizard who followed the evil wizard Darcy helped defeat."

Pepper clears her throat and crosses one leg over the other. "While this is rather enlightening about Darcy, what does this story have to do with what's going on out there?" She asks, gesturing to the window where JARVIS was still playing video after video. "Shouldn't the Avengers be suiting up?"

"Because those people shooting lights from sticks- they're _wands!_ \- are deatheaters," Jane stresses. "While the Avengers can pretty much fight anything thrown their way, you guys are not equipped for this form of magic. That red light you're seeing being shot from their wands is called _Stupefy_ and it's a spell to knock someone out. But that green light you see them shooting, it's called _Avada Kedavra._ It's the instant death spell."

Several faces pale at that revelation. "Darcy gave up magic long ago, but she's kept herself ready in case of a situation like this," she continues to explain. "That coin you saw around her neck, it's a spelled coin to alert other Order members of whatever she told it to relay. She called in the remaining few Order members and Aurors- which are the magical police- here to take care of the deatheaters since you all are too vulnerable for what they can throw at you."

"How do you know so much?" Steve asks, warily eyeing the screen for what's going on outside the tower. "Did Darcy tell you this?"

Jane opens her mouth to answer, but then closes it and she sheepishly grins. "I'm a Squib."

"I'm sorry, did you say you're a squid?" Clint gawks.

"No, you idiot. Squib," Jane laughs. "I was born to two magical parents, but my magical core never developed as it should." As the others let yet another revelation sink in, Thor leans forward and grasps one of Jane's hands in his own to give it a comforting squeeze. "Seriously, have you guys never wondered why I never took it personally when someone called me a crackpot for chasing after rainbow bridges? It's because I've always known magic existed, but I needed to prove it by muggle means otherwise I'd be fined a pretty penny and probably have my memories of the magical community wiped."

"They can do that?" Tony yelps.

"Yep. While it seems scary, they really only wipe the memories of those who are not supposed to know that witches and wizards exist. Otherwise, it's pretty illegal and can result in your wand snapped in half and magic bound so you can't find any other means to practice."

Again, the information sinks in, but before anyone can voice another question the elevator is dinging and signaling Darcy's return. When she fully enters the room, gone is the girl they're used to who's most comfortable in leggings and hoodies, and in her place is a soldier. She wears a black longsleeve leather top, black skinny jeans, an odd rough textured jacket, and black knee high lace up boots. Her once loose hair is done up in a french braid with a couple strands left loose to frame her face, but it's all covered up when she pulls up her hood to hide most of her face. "We should be on the rooftop. Some people I know are coming and I'd appreciate it if no one tries to hurt them."

With that, she turns back around to stride back towards the elevator and everyone's quick to follow her and cram themselves into the lift. Then when they're all gathered onto the rooftop, Darcy climbs the small set of steps onto Stark's landing pad while everyone opts to remain below her.

Soon enough, Clint's the first to notice something odd off in the distance. "Not to alarm anyone, but am I the only one seeing _winged horses_ headed this way?"

They all look in the general direction of where Clint's pointing and sure enough there are winged creatures with passengers on their backs headed straight for the tower. Not only that, but a couple of others are gliding in on slim sticks- brooms, Jane kindly informs them. Two winged horses and the two riding brooms land on the pad Darcy's standing on, and everyone else lands atop the rooftop which cause the Avengers and Pepper to all take a step back. Jane and Thor, however, step forward.

"Amazing," she breathes in awe. "I've never seen a thestral in person."

"What the hell is a thestral?" Tony gulps. "That looks like a zombified horse!"

A blonde woman dismounts from her creature, the horse folding it's wings back. "They might look like something out of bad dream," she airily informs him. "-but thestrals are quite kind." As she says this, she runs her hand over it's rather skeletal snout before reaching into her satchel and bringing up a piece of raw meat. "They're also fast flyers."

"Luna," Darcy calls out, greeting the woman. "If you can be so kind and gather all the thestrals with you, I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course."

Jane and Thor volunteer to help while Jane informs the Avengers and Pepper that had they never witnessed the death of someone, the thestrals would be invisible to them. Soon enough all three thestrals are gathered together by being lured in by the raw meat Luna had brought, and then Darcy's bringing down the others to their level. Then once all the people are gathered in a rather large group, introductions are had.

Darcy introduces them Luna, Seamus, Dean, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and finally Harry- the gentleman responsible for saving the world when he was just a kid. The Avengers and Co. then introduce themselves, and Darcy declares that the Wizarding Laws be damned when Hermione mentions the Statue of Secrecy because deatheaters have attacked her city and she's not about to put up with it.

"Speaking of," Darcy then turns her glare on Harry. "Why was I not informed that deatheaters were rising up again? And how did you all get here so fast on thestrals and brooms? I figured you would have port keyed in."

"Ah, about that," Harry sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. "We actually were already in the States when we felt the coins burn hot. The Ministry wanted us to keep news about these new deatheaters quiet, but we didn't think them so bold as to travel here and start offing people."

"Well they did," Darcy scoffs. "-and I had to out myself as well as others just to bring you here. I will not allow my friends- my _family_ \- to enter this fight without knowing what they're truly up against so the Ministry can suck it if they get pissy about the Avengers knowing about magic."

Hermione seems to bristle at her words, but Ron calms her down quick enough while Ginny just smirks and nods along with Darcy's words. "Agreed. So how are we doing this?" The redheaded woman is practically buzzing with energy.

JARVIS- the AI having access to the outside- kindly pings in to alert the others of his incoming verbal presence. _"Sir, more videos have gone viral, but this time it appears these threats have changed location."_

"Where to, J?"

 _"It appears they are targeting Harlem."_

"Of course, they are," Bruce sighs.

"You heard the man," Darcy calls out, suddenly going very serious. "Since I know the lay of the city here, you'll all follow me."

Everyone looks to Harry and he solemnly agrees with her words. When he gives Darcy a terse nod, she smirks at him before bringing up her hand and placing two fingers in her mouth. Whistling loud and long, everyone's startled at how amplified it seems with an odd spine tingling effect. Moments afterward, a tremendous roar answers back and Jane lights up.

"Maxwell!"

"What the hell is a Maxwell?" Tony asks, warily glancing all around them. But before he's answered, Darcy seems to mock salute the gathered crowd and takes off in a dead run towards the edge of the building. And the moment she leaps off with a rather graceful dive, the Avengers and Pepper all shout in fear, and it's Neville who chuckles and stops Tony from summoning his suit.

"Just watch," he grins at the shocked faces of the superheroes. "My cousin always did like showing off."

"Cousin?!" Several people yelp, but another roar cuts off any more questions.

A humongous dragon flies upward in a rush, sending everyone in a crouch at it's close proximity. They hear Darcy hollering in delight and as the dragon circles high above the tower, everyone turns and stares at Jane.

"I thought you said she gave up magic?" Steve frowns.

"She did," Jane laughs. "But Maxwell? He's harmless. And sort of has his own magic that he uses to camouflage himself wherever Darcy's at. You guys seriously haven't noticed a dragon sitting atop the tower whenever Darcy takes her rooftop breaks?"

The witches and wizards all chuckle, all of them seemingly fine with the presence of a dragon as the Avengers- sans Thor, of course- all gape at the actually real life dragon. Luna, Neville, and Hermione mount the waiting thestrals, and everyone else mount their brooms.

"Come on, losers!" Darcy shouts in glee. "We got deatheaters to beat the shit out of."

 **xXx**

Less than two hours later, all witches and wizards are back at Avengers Tower with the thestrals happily resting on the rooftop and Maxwell curled up on the landing pad after an eventful fight. Steve had wondered where the culprits were and just what type of judgement they'd be facing for killing innocents, and Harry's quick to explain about port-keying the criminals back to England and about Azkaban and dementors. Feeling content that the witches and wizards knew what they're doing, Steve quiets down and Tony's vocally glad that he's not a wizard because dementors sound awful.

Dean and Luna walk around, doling out potions and helping heal their friends from the spells they couldn't dodge as Natasha closely inspects Darcy's dragon-hide jacket and unabashedly asks for one. Darcy laughs and agrees to take the spy shopping in a magical community sometime soon, but Tony's still stuck on the fact that Neville and Darcy are related.

"We're not technically related, not anymore," Darcy shrugs. "But Neville and I just clicked one day at Pureblood function, and when we found out that our great-great-great something's were married then divorced and married again-"

"And then divorced again," he jokingly adds in.

"-we decided to stay in touch. School was harsh, especially to Nev who was easily picked on, so I backed him when I wasn't being picked on because of my family name."

Hours dwindle away with everyone relaxing and gorging themselves on take-out, and the Avengers and Co. find out more about Darcy and where she came from. Hermione- the one witch who's always prepared for anything- pulls free a pensieve when Darcy starts talking about memories and how she wishes her friends could see so they'd understand everything they went through. Then after explaining what a pensieve does, Tony, Thor, Jane, Clint, and Steve agree to drop in to see just exactly what type of war the magical individuals had been through.

Darcy, Harry, Hermione, and Neville offer up their memories from their First Year up to and throughout the war, and then Darcy volunteers to drop in first so everyone else knows how to follow. Inside the memories, everyone's grinning at the happy children riding boats up to a magnificent castle in the dead of the night. They witness as the children learn magic, but they also view Harry's turmoil at such an early age that doesn't sit right with any of them.

Happy faces and eagerness to learn magic slowly dissolves over the years, their cherub faces all turning rather serious and gaunt the older they got. Teachers were not to be trusted, adults were being stubborn and refused to believe Harry when he told them about Voldemort returning, and supposed criminals were realized to actually be innocent bystanders.

But the war, the betrayal, the torture, and all those innocent lives lost is what truly upsets the Avengers and Jane. Darcy is rather grim as she watches Hogwarts crumble once again and many friends losing their lives because they would not support a mad man. And then when it's all over and everyone's gasping after such a trippy experience, Tony has to run to the nearest sink and empty his stomach. Steve's lips are pressed into a thin line, Jane's looking rather pale, Thor's obviously livid and trying to control himself if the sudden rumbling thunder outside is anything to go by, and not even Natasha's concerned gaze is enough to keep Clint from looking so haunted at what they've seen.

"Our lives were that bad, huh?" Harry tries to joke, but that only earns an impressive hug from Jane.

"I didn't know it was that bad," she breathes in shock. "I mean, Darce's told me about it, but I'd never seen it like that."

Harry awkwardly pats Jane on the back as Ginny and Ron snicker at him, but then the two Weasley's are shut up quite quickly when they see that Jane's hugging each of them in turn.

More drinks are had as are explanations to those who opted out of taking a trip into the memories, and all too soon the visiting magicals are gearing up to leave.

They're gathered up on the rooftop once more, and after a few petted strokes to Maxwell the dragon from Natasha, Clint, Steve, Thor, and Bruce, Darcy sends her large friend on his way with promises to go riding soon. Brooms are mounted as are the thestrals, but Luna makes a quick stop by Steve.

"Mr. Rogers-"

"Steve, ma'am. Just Steve," he smiles down at her.

Luna grins at him, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "Just Steve," she airily replies. "When Winter comes, don't be too mean," she then says. His eyebrows pull together in confusion, he trying to understand the dreamy smile directed at him even as she has a far away look in her eyes. "He doesn't know what he's doing. Be kind to Winter."

"Uh, okay..?

Luna smiles at him, patting his arm before turning on her heel and marching up to her thestral. Neville helps her mount it and then the magical individuals have all lifted off and are flying back the way the'd come.

"Don't fret too much," Darcy startles Steve from his mental musings. "It was thought that Luna had _the sight_ back in our school days, but it was also thought that she was just off her rocker."

Steve hums in reply, Luna's words repeating over and over in his mind. When he can't seem to truly understand what he's been told, he turns in time to find a joyous Thor playing with the ethereal form of a honey badger that had come from the wand in Darcy's hand.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: As stated in the very beginning, timelines are skewed and you're just supposed to go with the flow. So yeah, this happens before Steve finds out the Winter Soldier's identity hence Luna's warning ;)**


	12. Lucifer

**Author's Note: Fair warning, y'all. I'm not religious at all, so I apologize in advance if you are and you get offended by me twisting some things around/just making shit up.**

* * *

Darcy Lewis.. hasn't always been Darcy Lewis.

When she was first born- er, _created_ \- her given name had been Barakiel. The angel of Good Fortune as her Father has dubbed her and the _Lightning of God_ seeing as he'd granted her dominion over lightning. She loved her brothers and sisters greatly, and followed the orders of her Father as any good angel would. Eventually, she was then granted archangel status and dubbed ruler of the Seraphim.

Then Father went and created more children that he called the _humans,_ and demanded that his children love these creations as He did. Some angels fell in line very easily- Barakiel being one of them as she opened their hearts to playfulness and lightheartedness- but others easily saw the flaws of these humans and disliked them right off the bat.

Lucifer, one of Barakiel's brothers that she adored very much- was one of these angels who refused to love their Father's creations as commanded. With Lucifer's refusal, it caused a rift between all her brothers and sisters. However, after much fighting and Lucifer boasting about how terrible humans were, their Father got fed up and cast Lucifer down. And in the midst of all the chaos after Lucifer's falling, Barakiel had had enough and grabbed up her only valued possession- a spear- and fled the only home she ever knew.

For years and years, Barakiel roamed Earth without any knowledge of what became of Lucifer or Heaven. Her name changed when she saw fit to take on a new identity, and Barakiel eventually learned of what became of Lucifer. They called him the Devil- a beast who sat on his fiery throne down in Hell and passed judgement on all the sinning souls who were ferried down into the pits. She didn't like thinking of her brother as a red beast with horns and a tail, and tried with all her might to never read too much into people's religion and the so-called word of God.

Then one day when she was parading around as _Darcy Lewis_ , Barakiel felt the overwhelming urge to enroll herself into school and learn how to truly blend in. Stupidly, college was her starting point, but thankfully college kids went through _odd phases_ so Darcy Lewis wasn't too much of an odd ball. From there, she felt another pull towards an ad tacked up on the boards- an astrophysicist seeking an intern- and Barakiel knew she had to put in for it. Befriending Jane Foster was fairly easy, as well as Erik Selvig, and keeping her identity was a slice of cake. But then Jane and Erik became _family_ and Darcy spilled her most treasured secret: She was not Darcy Lewis, but rather Barakiel- an angel of the Lord.

Of course, Jane and Erik didn't believe, but when Barakiel let her wings rip through the back of shirt one night as they sat atop the roof of the car dealership-turned-lab, it was hard to deny the fact that Darcy- er, Barakiel- was truly an angel with her intimidating inky black wings spread out behind her.

"Well, okay," Jane had muttered, hesitantly reaching for a wing to stroke the feathers.

Then Thor happened and SHIELD intervened with Jane's research, and Darcy struggled a little more to keep her real identity a secret. SHIELD never found out a thing, but when Thor had his powers returned, Darcy quietly told him about her situation with a promise to show him at a later time when they were not under SHIELD's eye.

Chaos befell New York City in the form of aliens falling from the sky, and Darcy vowed to protect Jane with all her might. London came next and Thor finally got to see an angel in action as _Barakiel_ swooped down from the skies only to jump into the fray of things and fight off dark elves with a glowing spear. After London, the girls found themselves in New York set up in a fancy apartment inside Stark Tower, and once again Barakiel found herself burying her identity only to become Darcy once more.

Only as the Avengers all slowly made themselves at home in the tower as well, Darcy felt the undeniable urge to help them. Clint was the first that she felt a pull to, she happily focusing all the good vibes towards him. He struggled greatly after Loki's manipulation and sometimes babbled to Darcy about how he wasn't religious, but if there was a God out there, _then why did He let such things happen?_ And after one too many guilt trips- though that was never Clint's intention- Darcy gently told him about _Barakiel_ and how she could help him if he just opened his heart.

Clint was shocked, but just like Jane he was fascinated with the wings.

Natasha was let in next because she was Clint's partner and he fought for the redhead to know, but unlike Clint and Jane, Natasha merely took the news with a hum and grin. She knew there was something odd about Darcy Lewis, and she was just glad to not be puzzling over it anymore.

Tony came next when he couldn't quite cope after flying a nuke into outer space, and Pepper followed after because what Tony knew then so did Pepper. Again, fascination took over any other emotion as well as awe and shock that angels and God actually existed. However, when Tony mentioned the Devil being real as well, Darcy told him that was a touchy subject and left it at that.

Bruce merely hummed and looked at Darcy in a completely new light, his own fascination winning out and she indulged him with stories of Heaven. Steve, however, took the news pretty badly. While there was awe about the existence of angels, there was also rage because he felt that God neglected him quite a lot. And while Darcy felt for the super soldier because he was dealt a crappy hand in life, she was also angry and felt the need to defend her Father because he couldn't answer every single prayer when there were literally billions of praying individuals.

But as all good stories go, Steve eventually saw the light and apologized to Darcy for being so harsh when she trusted him with her secret.

* * *

Darcy's flitting between labs, feeding her scientists when she feels a shift in the atmosphere around her. Ever since the new company she keeps is practically family now-a-days, she's opened herself up to _listening_ to her Earth-bound brothers and sisters to be kept in the loop so she can keep those she loves safe. And right now her brothers and sisters are quite loud on, what Clint's dubbed, _angel radio._

She comes to a stop in the lab space shared by her top three scientists, their work ceasing as they see Darcy stock-still by the door.

"Uh, Darce? You okay, kiddo?" Tony asks, laying down his soldering tool. Glancing at Jane, he frowns. "What's going on?"

"I- I'm not sure," she frowns. "Darcy?"

Darcy's head suddenly tilts skyward, her head then tilting just the slightest to the right as she listens. She hears chatter about Lucifer, about how he's shockingly showing signs of being mortal now and how Amenadiel flew down with plans to kill their brother to send him back to his throne in Hell.

Snapped out of the moment, Darcy snarls and her wings sprout from her back in her sudden rage. The flannel and jeans and sneakers she wore seem to magically bleed into something entirely different and Jane, Bruce, and Tony are absolutely gobsmacked. Because while they knew Darcy was actually _Barakiel_ \- an angel of the Lord- they'd gotten used to Darcy Lewis and all her baggy clothing. But now- now they're faced with a seething angel decked out in what appears to be a long sleeve black mini dress with black leggings and knee-high boots. In her right hand shines a silver glowing spear and an intricate gleaming eye mask appears over her eyes.

"Holy shi-" Tony gapes.

And when Darcy's wings twitch in agitation, Jane stumbles into Bruce while slapping at his arm as her words seem to fail her. "B-Bruce, the window. Open- open the window!"

The usually calm and collected scientist lunges for the button that will slide up the window so Darcy doesn't break through it yet again, and makes it just in time as Darcy's wings propel her forward like a bullet shot from a gun.

"What the hell was that all about?" Tony breathes in relief now that the tension's gone with the mysterious angel.

"No idea," Jane gulps. "I guess- I guess we'll find out later?"

 **xXx**

Barakiel tracks Amenadiel down to an alley behind a surprisingly well loved club called 'Lux', and she's fuming from the sky as she watches her brother Amenadiel clearly intimidate her now weakened brother Lucifer. Rage and sudden hatred for particular members of her family fuels her earlier anger, and lightning cracks with a single bolt scorching the ground between Lucifer and Amenadiel. As her two brothers jump apart, she lands between them in a crouch with a resounding boom and the end of her spear touching the ground and sending cracks through the asphalt. Then slowly standing to her full height, Barakiel sneers at her dark-skinned brother. "Amenadiel."

He stares in awe. "Barakiel. How are you- _where have you been?_ "

"I've been here this entire time since our brother was unfairly banished from his home."

"Unfairly banished?" Amenadiel has the audacity to look flummoxed. "Lucifer was sent down because he refused-"

"Because he refused to appreciate Father's new and loved creations as He did," she says over him, her form tense and ready to strike. "Tell me, brother," she says and cocks her head slightly to one side. "-while I adore these humans, is it fair that they get to have flaws and opinions whereas _we_ don't? If Father loves his creations so, then why is it our brother was pushed out Heaven for speaking out as any human would?"

"BECAUSE WE WERE NOT MEANT TO!"

"People change, Amenadiel. As do angels. Lucifer had every right to pick and choose who he wanted to love, and he shouldn't have been painted the villain for doing so."

"BUT HE IS! Don't you see, sister, he's manipulating you," Amenadiel tries to get her to see reason. "He's clouding your judgement."

"He is not," she fumes. "This is the first time I've laid eyes on my brother since his banishment. Why do you have such hatred for Lucifer, Amenadiel. Why?"

"Uh, excuse me, darling little sister," Lucifer finally pipes up, draping an arm around Barakiel's shoulders. "-but I think I can answer that for you." Amenadiel growls at him, but Lucifer merely smirks and diverts his attention back to his sister. "He's just scared that without me occupying my seat in Hell, Father will make yet another beloved son fall and take my place. And guess who's terrified that he's up on the chopping block?"

With some of her anger bleeding away, Lucifer's revelation is enough to make surprise flash across Barakiel's features. "Brother-"

"ENOUGH." Amenadiel cuts her off. "Lucifer's mortal now. All he has to do is die and he'll be sent back to where he's meant to be. Duma and Remiel, my brothers, can return home from where they've been watching over the condemned souls, and Lucifer can end his umpteenth rebellion against our Father and retake his place as the monster he truly is."

And well, Barakiel's anger is back tenfold now. "You'll have to get through me."

Amenadiel stares at Barakiel in shock as she slips out from beneath Lucifer's arm, her stance easily slipping into her 'battle stance' as she twirls her spear in hand before wielding it before her. His shock turns into determination and Amenadiel spreads his arms out at his side and his dark gray wings erupt from his back.

"Now this is a party," Lucifer jokingly chuckles.

"Sister," Amenadiel tries to plead with her one last time. "Don't do this."

But Barakiel doesn't waver. "You give me no choice. Luci, stand back."

Amenadiel strikes first, using his wings as his weapon, but Barakiel deflects him easily with her spear. Their sister was never a fighter, but both brothers are clearly surprised by the elegance in which she dances around Amenadiel and trades blows with him. But when Amenadiel catches her- he truly brings the pain down on his sister. He's more powerful than she, but she's skilled in areas that Amenadiel would have looked down upon.

For instance, being trained by a super-soldier and two assassins had it's perks if the hidden knives in Barakiel's boots and belt are anything to go by. Barakiel's porcelain skin very obviously shows the bruises and scrapes that Amenadiel's delivering upon her, but with his wavering strength and grunts of pain, she knows she's causing him a deal of pain as well every time the tip of her spear slices into his flesh or jabs into something fleshy.

"ENOUGH!"

Amenadiel and Barakiel freeze in their fight, his hand wrapped tight around her throat as he holds her a foot off the ground. As one, their heads turn in the direction of Lucifer only to find him standing there in the role their Father cast upon him- the Devil. Gone is the handsome face of their brother, and in it's place is the face which appears that the skin and hair has literally been peeled off. He looks bloody and his glowing red eyes are sunken in.

"Enough," Lucifer seethes. "Let our sister go and return to Heaven, Amenadiel. You and I both know that is you who will not make it out of the alley alive if you harm one more hair on Barakiel's precious little head."

Beaten, bloody, and panting, Amenadiel sneers as best as he can and drops his sister. She sucks in air greedily as she scrambles back from him, glaring at her brother before he looks skyward and flies off without another word.

Once she's righted herself and her wings are tucked away, Darcy swipes a hand down her face and the silver mask- that miraculously survived the fight- vanishes. She pushes off the wall, sighing and turning to face Lucifer who's back to his handsome face that she'd grown to adore when they were first created.

Smiling gently, she limps up to him and places a hand on his cheek. "Oh, Lucifer, I'm so sorry."

His brow twitches and his grin falters, but he manages to hold back his emotions like he's always done. "Nonsense, little sister. It's not as if you pushed me out of our home. You don't have a mean bone in your body." Barakiel snorts and glances down at her bleeding and bruised arms, even going as far as turning her head to the side and spitting out blood. "Well, there is that," Lucifer chuckles. "Just where exactly did you learn all those moves, sweet little Barakiel?"

"Ever heard of the Avengers?" She laughs, flashing him a bloody smile. "They're good people. Some taught me how to fight."

"Ah, yes, I've heard of them. It's good that you're happy."

"I am. Are you?"

A door creaks opens loudly, both angels bracing themselves for the intruder. However, it's a rather gorgeous blonde that steps out. "Lucifer? You out here?"

"Over here, Detective!"

Darcy's eyebrows hit her hairline as she mouths _detective?,_ but Lucifer merely brushes her off. The pretty blonde heads their way, her round eyes widening as she takes in the two people before her.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" The blonde rushes towards Barakiel, the female angel taking a step back and casting her brother a curious glance. "Jesus, who did this to you?" She asks, taking in the disheveled hair and bloodied woman.

"My brother."

The detective looks startled at her admission and Lucifer chuckles. "It's fine, detective. My dear sister will be healed up within in the hour."

"Sister?!" The detective glances between the two, the information sinking in before she comes to a sudden realization. "Amenadiel," she breathes in shock. "He did this?"

"Well to be fair, I'm pretty sure he looks the same."

Lucifer laughs at his sister's retort, he moving closer to the detective and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Detective, allow me to introduce my sister. Barakiel. Barakiel, meet my friend detective Chloe Decker. Maybe you can make a believer out of dear Chloe, sister. I've tried telling her I'm the devil, but she's yet to believe me."

Chloe's shocked expression shifts into something akin to annoyance, she sighing with a roll of her eyes. "Right," she drawls. "Barakiel. Let me guess, another angel?"

"You'd be correct." At that precise moment, Barakiel's wings fling out at either side of her, the black wings spreading wide and proud. "But you can call me Darcy."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm sorry if I confused you as I kept switching between using the name 'Darcy' and 'Barakiel'. And I also apologize for leaving this as a cliffhanger of sorts, but this is literally all you get. Haha. If you or someone you know wishes to continue where I left off, I encourage it just as long as you link me to anything you decide to add on :)**

 **P.S- I found this on the internet and I just wanted to add it here so you can see why I had Darcy be 'Barakiel'. Obviously, Barakiel is a 'He', but for the sake of this story he will be a 'She'.**

 _ **Barakiel's name means "God's blessing." He is an ancient angel, over 130,000 years old, and is considered to be one of God's mightiest angels. According to The Almadel of Solomon, a 17th century book purportedly written by King Solomon,**_ _ **Barakiel is in charge of people's attitudes and protects innocents**_ _ **. Barakiel hunts evil(with the exception of Lucifer because she adores her brother), has dominion over lightning and rules the month of February. He is a ruler of the Seraphim which are divine creatures associated with Cherubim. Cherubim are the winged creatures, or guardian spirits, which protected the Garden of Eden.**_

 _ **Barakiel assists people in having a positive outlook and in experiencing good fortune.**_

 _ **Barakiel has a great sense of humor and inspires laughter and joy**_ _ **. It is said that as he walks in his favorite place, the prayers of people appear on the trunks of the trees. He always answers prayers offered with an open heart and a willing spirit.**_

 _ **Barakiel will help you with: Creating abundance, Protection during a thunderstorm, Lifting your spirits, Having a positive attitude, and Succeeding when it seems like a long shot.**_


	13. The Originals

Darcy's miraculously gotten Jane to finally take a break from Science!, and has gotten the petite astrophysicist to sit down and eat an early dinner at a non-contaminated table when the alarms start blaring. But given how used the two women are to the alarms blaring down in the labs thanks to Tony's need to blow something up at least once a week, they share a long look before rolling their eyes and continue on eating while trying their best to ignore the sound.

"You seriously need to tell Wanda where you're getting your clothes from," Jane muses loudly. "She just waltzed right in this morning into our apartment, into your room, and came out wearing a pair of your boots before leaving for her mission with Clint. And I saw Natasha eyeing your shorts earlier today."

"Either that or she was checking out the buns," Darcy says back, waggling her eyebrows.

Jane snorts and covers her mouth to keep her sandwich from reappearing, then takes a drink of water. "I dare you to say that to her face."

Darcy's smile turns rather mischievous as she thinks about it, but a resonating _boom!_ and the shaking floor beneath their feet makes them sit up a little straighter with quickening heartbeats.

The alarm ceases and Darcy gulps. "J, buddy," she calls out to the now too quiet room. "Please tell me that was Tony and one of his many mistakes?"

 _"I would be lying if I said so, Miss Lewis. If you and Doctor Foster would please take shelter in the nearest panic room, the hostiles should be taken care of fairly quickly."_

"Hostiles?!" Both Jane and Darcy yelp. Then Jane's asking, "JARVIS, how did hostiles even get in? Stark's place is supposed to be secure."

 _"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Doctor Foster. My systems only caught on to the intruders when they were already in the elevator shaft."_

"Where the hell are they headed?" Darcy wonders.

 _"The labs, Miss Lewis. I believe that is their destination."_

"Oh shi- _Jane!_ In the panic room. Now!" Both women scramble off their stools and dash for the panic room situated inside Jane's lab, hidden behind a panel of the wall that blends in perfectly so no-one knows it's there. Though when the panel opens up to the supposed panic room, there are boxes upon boxes stacked in the room and there is literally only room for one person. "What the- Jane!"

"I'm sorry!" She blurts in a panic. "I forgot I moved those in here. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. We can go somewhere el-"

"It's fine," Darcy sighs and then starts pushing Jane into the small space. "Just.. get in. I have my taser and I'll hide under one of the tables," she says. "Surely the hostiles won't actually break in here and if they do, Steve and Tony and Natasha won't be far behind."

"Darcy, don't-"

"There's no other choice. Between the two of us, you're the one with all the science running around that genius brain of yours. They won't get much from me if they get this far."

Darcy shuts Jane in the room, shouting for JARVIS to lock the door just as another _boom!_ shakes the room, this one sounding a whole lot closer. Squeaking, Darcy rushes to where she'd dropped off her bag in a small storage cabinet and pulls it out to hurry rummage through it for her trusty weapon. Grasping the taser, she tosses her bag aside and dives under the nearest table that will hide her form should anyone enter the lab.

 _"Miss Lewis, I advise that you keep absolutely quiet. The elevator doors on this floor have been compromised."_

"Oh, for fuck's sake," she mumbles and curls in on herself tighter with her taser clutched to her chest.

Seconds turn into minutes with Darcy's heart pounding loudly in her ears, and then a final _boom!_ and the shattering of glass clues her into the fact that they've breached the lab floors. Her eyes clamp shut as she hears voices speaking, the words _worm holes, bridges,_ and _Foster_ making her whimper. The doors to the lab she's currently hiding out in shatter and Darcy holds her breath as if breathing will alert them to her location. Shit starts getting thrown about, more glass shatters, and there's angry mutterings about undeserved punishments should they not get their hands on that _damn scientist._

From one second to the next, chaos ensues.

One second, Darcy's trying not to breathe too loudly and the next, a hand has grasped her knee. She screams and jabs the prongs of her taser into the visible skin of the guy's hand. As he shouts and convulses with the electricity being pumped into his being, the other hostiles are immediately alerted to her presence. The table gets yanked from above her and Darcy finds herself staring up at two goons dressed all in black, skeletal fabric masks covering the bottom half of their faces. Though they have assault rifles, they're still strapped to their backs and only a single handgun is aimed at her as the other conscious goon wrestles her taser from her.

"You Doctor Foster?" Handgun guy demands.

But Darcy doesn't say anything and instead chooses to glare up at them.

"Nah, man, Doctor Foster is smaller. I saw a picture of her."

"Then who the hell is she?"

"Someone you shouldn't have messed with," Darcy finally mutters. She kicks out unexpectedly, knocking the handgun from the guy's grasp and then kicking him in the groin. But in doing so, the other guy kicks out in retaliation and catches her in the ribs as his friend groans and falls to his knees.

Darcy whimpers, but powers through, and scrambles for the gun she had kicked free. As she fumbles to hold it correctly and take aim, she's kicked again so she lands on her back and she fires off two rounds blindly in the direction of her attacker. She hears a groan and then the _thump!_ of dead weight hitting the floor, but pays it no mind and turns her attention and aim on the second conscious guy now scrambling for his own weapon while still breathing through the pain of being kicked in the dick.

"Don't.. move," she wheezes, tasting blood in her throat. The guy freezes and holds his hands out at his sides in surrender, but the second Darcy's aim wavers he reaches for a handgun holstered to his thigh. She squeezes the trigger twice with no remorse, but realizes too late that her aim had been higher than intended on her second hit. While these hostiles had been wearing protective clothing, a couple bullets was enough to cause them some pain and to let them know she wasn't messing around, but the second bullet had pierced the man's throat. As his wide eyes stare in shock at her while grasping at his gushing bullet wound, Darcy's eyes tear up. "No, no, no."

Her voice cracks and she tosses the gun away, she watching helplessly as the guy before her falls to his knees and gurgles on his own blood. He chokes and eventually ceases breathing all together, and Darcy looks away as he slumps forward into a pool of his blood. Her gaze catches the first guy she had shot, she finding a bullet hole in his eye socket.

Dread immediately fills her and Darcy scrambles back as the first sob breaks free. Her back hits a wall and she brings her knees up to her chest as she completely loses it. Tears are streaming down her face, her body shaking as sob after sob escapes her throat, and she's absolutely terrified.

"Darcy.. Darcy!" Jane rushes in then, falling to her knees in front of her friend. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay. It's over."

"I-It's not. I'm so s-sorry, Janie. I didn't- I didn't mean to kill them," she hiccups.

Jane looks around, frowning at the fallen men and the one unconscious one. "It's fine. It was self defense."

"No! You don't understand," Darcy wails, finally meeting her friend's gaze. "I _killed_ someone, Jane! I triggered it. I triggered that stupid curse. I don't want it. I can't- I can't go through all that," she continues crying.

Not knowing what to do, Jane looks to the ceiling. "JARVIS, can you locate the others? Is it all over?"

 _"I believe so, Doctor Foster. SI's security is securing those that the team have rounded up."_

"Good, then you can send the team my way. Something's wrong with Darcy."

 _"They've already been alerted and are on their way."_

"Thank you." She looks back to Darcy's who's shoved her face back into her knees, her hand hovering over Darcy's shoulder before Jane throws caution to the wind and takes a seat on the ground right before dragging Darcy into a protective and comforting hug.

Tony, Steve, and Natasha- the only Avengers currently in the building- rush into the lab not a minute later. Natasha immediately inspects the hostiles as the two men stride over to Jane, frowns marring their faces as they take in an inconsolable Darcy.

"What happened?" Steve asks, his Captain America voice in full effect.

"The panic room was temporarily being used as storage, so there was only room for one person in there," Jane guiltily admits. "She shoved me in and hid under one of the tables with her taser."

"One hostile's still alive. He's bound and going nowhere," Natasha suddenly informs them.

Steve gives her a terse nod from over his shoulder, but then his attention is back on Jane. "Go on."

"From the little screen beside the door on the inside, I watched as they found Darcy's hiding spot. She tased one guy and kicked another in the groin, but they got angry and kicked her twice in the ribs. I think they broke something or ruptured something because they didn't hit her face, but she has blood in her mouth. She shot the other two."

"If something is ruptured, then Darce needs medical attention," Tony grimly informs her. He steps forward and squats in front of both the women, his attention solely on Darcy. "Hey, kid, come on. It's not that bad. You did what you had to do and now you're going to get on up and follow us. The good doctors will take a good look at you."

"No.. no, you don't understand either. None of you do," Darcy sobs. "I _triggered_ it."

Natasha frowns, coming up beside Tony and squatting down as well. "Triggered what?"

"The curse. I triggered it when I killed them." She waves blindly in the general direction of the dead hostiles and then wraps her arm back around her knees. "I never wanted this; I never wanted to kill. It's why I never wanted to go through that stupid training you made us all go through. I never wanted to trigger my curse and now I have."

"She's going into shock," Tony mumbles. "We need to get her medical attention asap."

Darcy's head snaps up, eyes puffy and red. "I'm not going into shock!"

"You are," Natasha urges. "You need help, so I'm not sorry for what I'm about to do, _sestra_."

Out of nowhere, a syringe appears in Natasha's hand and she jabs it into the side of Darcy's neck. She cries out at the suddenness of it all and then slumps unconscious, but then Jane's there and pushing at Natasha.

"What did you do?!"

"Fast acting sedative," she says with no remorse of her actions. "She's freaking out and we need to have her injuries checked out if you said she's been kicked in the ribs." Jane blinks owlishly at the redhead as she calms and understands the other woman's actions, and then Natasha's looking up at Steve. "Rogers, can you carry Darcy down to medical?"

"Of course."

As Steve scoops up an unconscious Darcy, Tony has JARVIS alert their medical team to have a bed ready and to also alert the security that another hostile is in the labs, as well as sending up a clean-up crew.

 **xXx**

After Darcy had been dropped off with the doctors and nurses, Natasha urged Jane to go take a breather and to calm her nerves, but the scientist only agreed if someone stayed with Darcy. Natasha had agreed to do it since Tony and Steve were busy down the hall watching video feed after video feed to determine how the hostiles got in, and Jane reluctantly left to go collect herself.

She watches from outside the room's window as one doctor and one nurse briefly check Darcy for her mentioned injures, and then the nurse is inserting an IV into Darcy's arm and placing a heart rate monitor onto her finger. When Natasha gets the all clear to enter the room while the nurse goes to retrieve a medical gown for Darcy, the redhead steps in and takes a seat in the chair beside the bed. She's only seated for less than seven minutes when Darcy gasps awake, jerking into an upright position. The redhead is up on her feet in the next instant, her gaze tracking over Darcy's panicked features. "You shouldn't be awake," she tells the brunette.

Darcy whimpers and starts fidgeting as she glances all around the sterile room, she shielding her eyes from the harsh lighting. "I think my metabolism's burned through whatever you poked me with," she shakily admits. "I need- I need to get somewhere safe. Something's not right."

"What's not right?" Natasha watches as Darcy continues to fidget, she flinching from something unseen by Natasha's own eyes. "Darcy?"

"I don't know!" At the Black Widow's rare show of shock, Darcy sniffles and averts her gaze in shame. She rolls off the bed, stumbling when she finally has her feet back underneath her and rips the IV from her arm. "I shouldn't- not yet," Darcy cries. She gulps, looking warily around the room until she's staring out the window and at the darkened sky. Whirling around, she faces Natasha with wide eyes. "Is tonight a full moon?"

The redhead shrugs just as Jane, Tony, and Steve enter the room and Jane immediately starts pushing Darcy back into bed. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be standing."

"She shouldn't even be up," Tony says. "The sedative Natasha administered should've kept her under for a good hour or so. It hasn't even been half an hour."

Darcy moans and clutches at her stomach, sweat starting to bead along her hairline. "I need to be locked up. Hulk's containment room. Get me there."

The room is shocked silent as their friend continues to moan and groan, and then Tony's scoffing. "You're joking, right?"

But before Darcy can answer, the sickening sound of bones cracking resonate around the room. She screams out as she arches up on the tips of her toes, her agonized scream startling the medical staff outside her room.

"Darcy!" Jane tries to rush forward, but Tony catches her around the waist and hauls her back.

More bones break and Darcy screams out again before falling to her knees. "C-containment room. Please."

As she pants and whimpers and grits her teeth against the pain, Steve jumps into action. "Tony, have JARVIS clear the elevator. We need to get to Hulk's room as quickly as possible." He bends down and scoops up Darcy, and is grateful to see Natasha and Tony clearing a way out in the hallway and towards the elevator.

Jane follows at his back, keeping her own tears at bay.

The entire trip down to the containment room, bones are cracking and Jane and Tony can't help grimacing or flinching. Steve shifts uncomfortably, glancing down at his friend and when the doors finally open he rushes her into the containment unit.

"Jane, Tony, I'm gonna need you two to stay back. Tash, I need you cut Darcy's clothes off of her," Steve tells them.

"What? Why?" Natasha's already kneeling next to him, glancing worriedly between them.

"Because the entire way down here, I could feel her bones cracking and shifting beneath her skin. She's _transforming,_ Natasha, and I'm not sure what she's changing into."

Natasha's expression turns stoic and then Jane's rushed into the room. "You, out," she tells Steve. "Natasha, pull off her outer clothes. Leave her bra and underwear. Let her have _some_ privacy."

Steve blushes and hurriedly exits the room, and Jane works on pulling off Darcy's platform boots and galaxy moon necklace as their friend writhes in pain. Natasha then hurriedly removes the high-waisted denim shorts and the black crop top.

"Hayley.. Hayley Marshall," Darcy pants. "Find her. New Orleans. She'll know-" She cuts off suddenly, wailing in agony and her back cracks as she arches up off the floor before falling back down and going completely still. Silent.

"..Darcy?"

Jane and Natasha share a quick worried glance, and then Natasha's reaching to check for a pulse. "She has a pulse, but it's too fast than what would be considered normal for Steve. And she's running hot. _Very_ hot."

Darcy convulses for a brief moment and as Jane holds her down, Natasha places her thumb just beneath one of Darcy's eyebrows and forces her eyelid up. Jane gasps at what they see and Natasha's jaw clenches.

"What is it?" Tony calls from outside the unit.

"Her pupil's completely blown and it's edged in red," Natasha informs them. "And her iris is a golden yellow."

Darcy's eyes snap open then, both of them their eerie new colors and when she opens her mouth, she has two sets of canine teeth- one set on top and one on the bottom- as she snarls and snaps her mouth in Natasha's direction. Natasha's hands immediately grip Darcy's shoulders and pin her to the floor all the while yelling at Jane to get the hell out of the room. Then when she's sure that Jane's listened, Natasha struggles keeping Darcy pinned down until she's not and then she's suddenly flying halfway across the unit and landing on her back from a blow that Darcy had managed to deliver to her. Staring in shock as the brunette groans and snarls as she tries to roll over and climb onto her knees, Natasha quickly scrambles out of the containment unit and Tony's slamming his hand on the lock down button.

"What.. the hell, Romanoff?! What was that?"

"I don't know," she frowns. Darcy's writhing once more, crying out as her bones are shifting once again and breaking to accommodate her new form. "-but it's obviously very painful and she's not in her right mind. She didn't even know me in there."

Her screams continue for several long minutes as everyone watches in horror, they seeing the transformation first hand. Certain parts of her body shrink and then her skin flushes to nearly black. As her the rest of her body shrinks and shifts, her bra and panties slip from her form and an actual bushy tail sprouts from her tail bone. Ears are pointed and her mouth and nose elongate into a snout. Her flushed skin then sprouts fur and the outsiders actually all gape once Darcy's wail turns into a menacing bark.

Gone is the quirky girl they've all come to love, and in her place is a rather very defensive gray and black wolf snarling at them when she catches sight of them ogling her through the glass.

"..so, Hayley Marshall, correct? JARVIS, track the woman down," Tony says after a long minute of stunned silence.

 **xXx**

Klaus is watching his daughter Hope jump rope with her aunt Freya when Hayley walks in, pocketing her phone and looking rather contrite.

"What's the matter, little wolf?"

"I just got a phone call from Tony Stark."

Klaus' eyebrows meet his hairline, lips quirking into a smirk. "The one who flies around in a tin suit? What could he possibly want?"

"He- there's a girl I used to babysit," she confesses. "Good kid, but we didn't speak much after she moved away until recently. There was some sort of accident and she's asking for me."

"And let me guess, you want to go?"

"She has no family left," Hayley shrugs. "The pack her parents were a part of were killed off years ago. If she's asking for me, I wanna be there for her."

Klaus takes a moment to think it over, he, too, shrugging. "Well, the Quarter has been quiet and meeting an Avenger would make Hope's day."

Hayley snorts, but agrees, and the hybrid family soon finds themselves heading for the nearest airport.

* * *

When Darcy wakes, she finds herself once again in one of the too sterile hospital rooms at Stark's tower. Only this time everything is too bright, smells too strongly, and her body feels like it's been ran over repeatedly. As she blinks herself awake, her mind recalls all that's happened in the last twenty-four hours and the tears immediately fill her eyes. The heart rate monitor beeps excitedly and the quiet sniffling turns into full blown sobs when she realizes that that's her normal heart rate now- not just because she's feeling a little overwhelmed.

The door to her room opens and the first face she sees is Jane's. Her friend is immediately gushing and cooing over her, and a little piece of Darcy is relieved to see that she's not keeping any sort of distance between them. Others fill into the room and gather around her bed, but Darcy currently only has eyes for Jane.

"What happened?" She rasps.

"Uh, this is my fault, kid," Tony guiltily answers. "After you shifted back into this- your human form," he clarifies. "-we didn't know whether or not you'd shift again, so we gassed you in Hulk's room to keep you under until Miss Marshall got here."

"H-Hayley? You found her?" She struggles to sit up, grimacing in pain, but manages to hold her own.

"Hey, Darcy-Lou." Darcy then jerks in surprise at her long time friend's voice, she turning and finding Hayley on the right side of her bed. "How are you holding up?"

Apparently that was the wrong the thing to say and Darcy breaks down yet again. In between sobs, sniffles, and hiccups, she explains about the trespassing hostiles and how she shot at them only to stun them, but her aim was off and she killed two men.

"Aw, kid, come here." Hayley climbs up on the bed next to Darcy, casting Natasha a grateful smile when the redhead presses a button and has the top portion of the bed rise up so they could sit in a reclined position. As Hayley then leans back against the pillows, she wraps her arm around Darcy's shoulders and tucks her into her side. "I know you never wanted this and believe me, I know how much it hurts." Darcy's breathing ceases and Hayley sighs. "Yeah. I, uh, I triggered mine not long after you moved away. There was a boat trip and a lot of alcohol, and I accidentally killed someone."

"Oh, Hales, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I'm fine," she assures her. "-but I'm not here for me. I'm here for you."

Darcy goes quiet, occasionally sniffling until she asks, "Is there anyway to reverse it? I can't do this, Hayley. I can't shift every full moon and go through that agonizing pain again and again. I'd rather die."

Jane starts to silently cry and Steve looks saddened to hear Darcy say such a thing. Hayley doesn't say anything and places her chin atop Darcy's head, her gaze meeting that of Klaus' who decided to stand at the back of the room with their daughter.

"There's no cure or any way to reverse it," Hayley slowly admits. "-but.. but there might be a different way for you to be able to change at will or not change at all on the night of a full moon if you wish it."

Immediately, Darcy pulls back. "Tell me."

"I will, but there's something you need to understand. You and only you will be the only person offered this because you're like family to me and I don't want you suffering. And another thing is that everyone in this room," Hayley then pauses to meet everyone's gaze. "-is to never speak of what you hear after I show Darcy what she needs to see."

"Just tell me, Hayley. Or show me. These guys know all about keeping secrets."

Hayley smiles faintly before sitting up a little more and putting a little bit more space between herself and Darcy. Then taking a deep breath, Hayley closes her eyes and then opens them. The difference is immediate, her eyes glowing yellow.. and black veins slithering to the surface just beneath them. Darcy gasps and the other occupants of the room shift uncomfortably at the sight. And when Hayley's mouth slightly opens, there are still two sets of fangs only they're both on top instead of on top and bottom.

Hand lightly covering her mouth in shock, Darcy says, "Hayley? What did- how..?"

Hayley blinks and her features bleed away. "I might have- well, I most definitely slept with the devil."

"Now, now, little wolf. It wasn't all that bad." All gazes turn to the man in question, each of them stepping out of the way as he steps closer to the bed with their daughter at his side and a dimpled smirk directed at the two women on the bed.

"You have got to be kidding me," Darcy blurts. "Niklaus Mikaelson? The freakin' _hybrid?!_ "

"Ah, it's always a pleasant feeling when someone knows who I am."

Hayley rolls her eyes. "Klaus, take Hope outside, will 'ya? And shut the door. I have to fill her in and I'd rather not have Hope hear about the day she was born into this world."

Klaus' amusement falters, his gaze going rather cold and he gives her a nod. "Very well."

Hayley waits until Klaus and Hope are situated outside the hospital room, and her daughter's distracted by her father's phone. "It was a one night stand," Hayley says and then meets Darcy's gaze. "The witches of New Orleans somehow found out I was pregnant before even I knew and they magically lured me back to the Quarter because they needed me and my unborn baby as leverage to have the Original family under their thumb.

"Only when one of the witches had a premonition, they realized my baby would be their downfall, so they set out to sacrifice her."

"Oh, god," Darcy gasps.

"They kidnapped me, I went into labor, and they delivered my baby atop an altar inside a church," Hayley sneers and then reigns herself in by clearing her throat. "They were kind enough to let me hold her for all of ten seconds, but then they slit my throat right before they took her from my arms."

Darcy's crying again, but this time it's for an entirely different reason.

"It was proven by an ex-friend of mine who had a theory- and had no care whether my unborn baby lived or died- that blood from my daughter could sire hybrids. So when I died directly after giving birth, some of Hope's blood stayed in me and changed me. As you can see, we ended up getting my daughter back, but only after slaughtering the Coven who took her. Then I had to drink a single drop of, again, my daughter's blood to complete the transition. Now I can control my shift, the moon has no hold over me, I'm stronger and faster than both regular vampires and werewolves, and my bite is still lethal to all vampires."

"So what you're saying is, is that you want me to drink your daughter's blood?" Darcy frowns after a beat of stunned silence. "And then die?"

"What? No?!" Jane immediately speaks out. "No way, Darcy. You're not dying!"

Darcy says nothing and only has eyes for Hayley who's shakily smiling at her. "She's old enough to where I'm comfortable with a doctor taking a vial of her blood; half to drink before you die, and the other half to complete the transition since we're not sure regular human blood will work the same. But there's one other thing you need to know, Darcy-Lou, and it's probably another thing you won't like now that I think about it."

"What is it?"

"Since Hope will technically sire you, there _will_ be a sire bond. When in the same vicinity, you'll have the urge to protect her at all costs. However, there is a way to break a sire bond, but you'd have to forcefully completely shift into a wolf over and over again until that bond snaps."

Darcy whimpers at the prospect of forcefully putting her body through that transition over and over again, but if in the end she doesn't have to worry about shifting for the rest of her life.. well then, it just might be worth it.

"And the vampire cravings?" She asks, gaze going oddly distant. "The emotions? Is it the same for a hybrid?"

"At first it will be overwhelming since everything is amplified more than it already is, but you _will_ be able to control yourself. Food-wise, you can probably get by with a couple blood bags once a week. You won't need the intake of blood a regular vampire needs."

Breathing in through her nose, Darcy closes her eyes and then opens them to gaze at her gathered friends. They're all looking rather grim, Jane especially so, but it's Steve who helps cement Darcy's decision. "We'll be there every step of the way, Darce. Whatever you need- whatever you want- go for it."

Darcy's breath stutters as she offers him a watery smile, she then glancing out through the window at the child just outside her room, and then she's looking back at Hayley who's grinning as if she already knows Darcy's answer. "O-okay. I'll do it."


	14. Supergirl

Darcy is groggily eating cereal in the common room of the floor that she resides on in Stark Tower. Since all but two of the Avengers had gone off to do their own thing, Darcy was left with a lot of free time to finish her thesis before it's actual due date since she was just about finally finished with college. And even though each apartment and guest room came equipped with their own personal kitchen, Darcy might have forgotten to stock hers with food hence the reason for hitting up the common kitchen and eating some of Clint's cereal.

And speaking of the devil- er, thinking is more like it- and he shall appear.

"I'm telling you, pigeon-brain, they're totally related."

Along with their exuberant land lord as well.

"Just because she saved a plane full of people like he did long ago doesn't make them related," Clint gripes. "And besides, who cares about that! I'm more interested in the fact that there's another super being in the city and we didn't know about it."

"Mhm. Keep telling yourself that."

Darcy warily eyes the two men as they step into the kitchen on the opposite side of the island bar she's sitting at, and continues chewing on her fruit loops. "What are you two going on about?"

"Some enhanced blonde girl Barton's suddenly got a hard on for," Tony smirks. "She flies and has super strength, and saved a plane full of people when it's engines failed mid-flight. The paper's taken to calling her _Supergirl._ You know, kind of like Superman, but.. a girl."

Mid-swallow, Darcy's brain jumps to a terrifying realization at his words and chokes on her cereal. Tony cackles at her while Clint does the gentleman-ly thing of patting her back roughly until her airway is clear. "W-wrong pipe," she gasps in exclamation of her near death experience. Apparently that is enough for the boys and they go back to talking about 'Supergirl'.

Their attention not on her, Darcy picks up her phone from where it sat next to her bowl and places it down in her lap where she frantically sends out text after text.

 _ **To**_ _: Kara_  
 _ **From:**_ _Darcy_  
 _WTF?! SUPERGIRL?!_

 _ **To**_ _: Kara_  
 _ **From**_ _: Darcy_  
 _WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE OUTING YOURSELF?!_

 _ **To**_ _: Kara_  
 _ **From**_ _: Darcy_  
 _YOU'RE DEAD TO ME, KARA!_

Then taking a deep breath, Darcy shoves another spoonful of cereal into her mouth before calming down and composing yet another text.

 _ **To**_ _: Kara_  
 _ **From**_ _: Darcy_  
 _Okay, so you're not really dead to me, but yeah.._  
 _You should have told me. Does Alex know?_

Tony and Clint are still going on about Supergirl, and pulling up the grainy videos that not even JARVIS can clear up when her phone vibrates against her leg.

 _ **To**_ _: Darcy_  
 _ **From**_ _: Kara_  
 _I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before, but Alex was on that plane I saved and I couldn't just sit back and watch._

 _ **To**_ _: Darcy_  
 _ **From**_ _: Kara_  
 _And yes, Alex was mad at me for outing myself, but she seriously had no room to talk when she's been secretly working for a government organization that deals with aliens._

Mentally groaning and making sure no one's paying her any mind, she writes back.

 _ **To**_ _: Kara_  
 _ **From**_ _: Darcy_  
 _That's it. You and Alex are clearing your schedules for the entirety of next week and you're taking a trip up here to visit me. The both of you are going to tell me everything that I've missed and you will not hold back. Am I clear?_

 _ **To**_ _: Darcy_  
 _ **From**_ _: Kara_  
 _Ma'am, yes ma'am :)_

"Hey, Stark," Darcy then calls out, leaving her phone out of view. "We've got nothing going on next week, right?"

"Not unless some villain decides to wreak havoc. Why?"

"My sisters and I have been out of the loop with each other for too long. I invited them over for a week, but I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be too much of hassle."

Tony and Clint go silent, and both of them break it at the same time. "Sisters?!"

"Yep. Two." Darcy fights back a grin. "I'm adopted."

"What?!"

"Didn't you know?" She weakly laughs. "I figured my name would've raised a few brows- Darcy Danvers Lewis. I was about eleven when my biological parents passed away and the Danvers family took me and another girl in. Kara took the Danvers name, and while I wanted to, I didn't want to give up my Lewis name and forget my real mom and dad. Fortunately for me, Eliza and Jeremiah understood and let me keep my original last name while using their last name- Danvers- as a middle name."

Again, the men are struck speechless.

"..huh," Tony eventually huffs. "Yeah, kid, whatever you want. There's enough guest rooms still on this floor or we can have a big slumber party out here in the lounge."

"Funny," she snorts. "But we're good. They'll probably stay in my place, but we'll see."

* * *

Over the next several days, Darcy sets up her google alerts for anything pertaining to 'Supergirl' and isn't that surprised when she's bombarded with alerts every hour or so. Even Tony and Clint are watching the news stations diligently for anything new on her sister's alter ego, and they're even more excited when pictures start showing up of 'Supergirl' in a costume eerily similar to Superman's- although hers is a skirt- complete with the exact same 'S' on her chest and red cape.

Darcy has a ball teasing her sisters via text, and warning them about Tony and Clint since the two men seemed to have taken to being curious about the Danvers sisters. She also assures them that it's just the two overgrown toddlers they have to worry about since Captain America, Black Widow, and the Falcon are off chasing leads of an old friend, Jane is off-world with Thor, and Bruce is in another country helping the less fortunate who couldn't afford medical assistance.

And then the day they are set to arrive, Darcy is waiting rather anxiously in the lobby of Stark Tower. Right knee bouncing, Darcy brings up her thumb and chews nervously on her nail, and a weight seems to lift from her chest when she spots her two sisters walking up to the front entrance with curiosity dancing in their expressions.

Alex with her dark brown, chin length bob of a haircut seems to be channeling her inner _Black Widow_ \- even if she won't admit it-in skin tight jeans, wedged boots, and a dark bomber jacket over a dark blue t-shirt. And Kara- sweet, sweet Kara- with her dark blonde locks pulled back into a ponytail is practically bouncing on the tips of her toes next to Alex. Darcy had gotten used to seeing her super-powered sister in her 'Supergirl' attire via the web, so seeing Kara in glasses, a blue blouse tucked into a plaid skirt with a beige cardigan left unbuttoned, and brown heeled boots actually makes her giggle.

When security finally gives them the all clear to further enter the lobby, Darcy stands and waves them over only to silently curse the moment she sees Clint enter behind them. He's eyeing her, then the girls standing in front of him, and when it hits him just who exactly is heading straight for Darcy, he smirks a little too smug.

"Ladies," she hears Clint cheerfully call out a little too loudly. Coming up in between Alex and Kara, he wraps an arm each around Darcy's sister's shoulders. "You two must be Alex and Kara. Darcy won't tell us anything about you."

"And for good reason," Darcy huffs, closing the distance and glaring at Clint before smiling sheepishly at her two amused sisters. "Go away, Clint. I haven't seen my sisters in a while and you're not welcomed to sit in and stare at us like we're on display at some zoo."

"Aw, but Darce,we're all family here," he pouts and squeezes Kara and Alex a little closer to his sides.

"No."

"Darcy," Alex finally speaks with a grin. "-don't be rude. Mr. Hawkeye can share the elevator with us and then we'll all go our separate ways."

"Pft." Darcy scoffs. " _Mr_. Hawkeye. Don't be so formal, Alex. Clint lives on the same floor as I and you'll see just how annoyingly normal this guy is. And Kara, please stop blushing. You're going to set off the sprinklers in here if your cheeks get any redder."

Kara squeaks, her eyes going wide behind her glasses as all gazes turn on her. "I- I'm not," she tries to deny, but only digs herself into a deeper hole by stammering and then sighs. "You're mean. I can't wait to tell anyone who'll listen all about your awkward teenage years."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Ladies, ladies," Clint laughs, freeing Alex but leaving his arm around Kara. "Lets take this upstairs, shall we?"

"Hands off my sister, bird-brain, or I tell Steve who it was that put itching powder in the crotch of his suit."

Kara gasps, "You didn't", and glances up at a now glowering Clint.

"Low blow, Darcy-Lou." But Darcy's words have their desired effect and he lifts his arm from Kara's shoulders. The three sisters and Clint step into the elevator, and Darcy hits the button for her floor while Clint presses the one she knows is for the labs. "So," Clint drawls as the elevator starts up. "-how long are you ladies here for?"

"A week," Kara answers, smiling nervously at Clint and nudging up her glasses on the bridge of her nose. Clint grins back at her and nods. "Alex and I live near each other so it's easy for us to keep in touch, but Darcy lives a little further out and is constantly busy that we've fallen out of touch."

The elevator comes to a slow stop and the doors ping open. "Well, I hope your stay is a good one," he says, walking backwards out of the lift. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other this week."

With a wink and brief little salute, Clint turns on his heel just as the doors close and hides him from the sisters' view.

"Ugh," Darcy groans and then nudges Kara with her elbow. "I seriously hope you're single because I think Barton is smitten."

Kara's eyes widen in surprise and Alex cackles.

When Alex and Kara finally step out onto Darcy's floor, they're a little underwhelmed by what they see. Darcy notices their expressions and asks what the matter is, and they both answer that they thought the place would be more swanky. Looking around, Darcy takes in the earth-toned color schematic of the room with random splashes of blue and purple, the well-worn wooden coffee and side tables, and the well-loved cushioned furniture.

"If you wanna see swanky, I'll take you up to the real Common Floor later where everyone gathers for the parties and what not," Darcy tells them. "It's all leather and chrome and glass up there, but this- _this_ is home," she says as she gestures around the place. "Only Clint, Steve, and I live on this floor. The other apartments are still empty so we decorated how we saw fit and felt the most comfortable in."

Kara and Alex take their sister's answer for what it is and follow Darcy into the sitting area. Placing the TV and a random channel for background noise, the three Danvers sister catch up, but make sure to skate around the fact that Kara is Supergirl and that Alex works for the D.E.O in case JARVIS is listening in.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Alex and Kara are treated to absolute relaxing circumstances. Both ladies get to take a breather from their demanding lives and watch their sister wrangle Tony via video feed since they didn't have clearance to step foot in the labs. Clint kept true to his word and dropped in at unsuspecting times, but he never did seem to be able to sneak up on Kara which he found kind of aggravating since he couldn't get her to squeak again, something which he found adorable.

And Tony- Kara and Alex quickly got desensitized to him. His loud, brash demeanor was something they could easily handle with Darcy's assistance, and Tony found himself a little vulnerable with the Danvers sisters, especially with Kara in her cute little glasses and cardigans.

And thankfully, nothing required Supergirl's attention back home and anything that looked as if it needed the Avengers' attention was dealt with easily by Iron Man and the Iron Legion.

 **xXx**

"Oh my god," Alex groans. "If I eat another slice of pizza, I'm gonna explode." She tosses her half-eaten slice back into the box on the coffee table, leaning back and cradling her stomach. "I still can't believe this is your life."

"Yeah, well, this is actually a slow week for me," Darcy laughs. "I'm usually a lot more busy, but since more than half the team is gone and I'm done with most of my college work, it's all about vegging out and making sure Tony doesn't blow himself up."

"I love it," Kara mumbles around a mouth full of food. "If I didn't have to do what I do, I'd be up here every weekend."

The sisters laugh at Kara's enthusiasm, and the elevator dinging alerts them to either Tony or Clint.

"I got Chinese!" Clint hollers. "And extra potstickers."

"Yes!" Kara jumps up, pizza long forgotten as she races towards a grinning Clint and takes the offered brown paper bag while he looked on as if she hung the moon. "Hawkeye is officially my favorite Avenger."

"Aw, Kara," Darcy coos from her spot on the couch. "You made the birdie blush."

Sure enough, Clint's cheeks are tinged pink, but he's saved from further teasing when the elevator dings again. This time, Tony's getting off. "I got ice cream!"

"YESS!" Kara says again in excitement, Darcy and Alex laughing at how Clint and Tony are totally wrapped around their little sister's pinky.

"Pepper says hi, by the way, and that she's sorry she can't hang out."

"It's fine," Kara assures. "That lady of yours is one busy woman. Totally understandable."

Kara scoops some ice cream into a bowl while shoving half a pot sticker in her mouth, she grinning and humming before skipping back to her seat with her sisters. Clint divvies up the rest of the Chinese between himself, Tony, and Kara who was the only one still hungry, and all of them soon find themselves lounging before the flat screen TV where the three sisters had been watching Animal Cops.

 _"Sir,"_ JARVIS smoothly interrupts. _"There appears to be a situation currently happening in National City that needs attention."_

Kara freezes mid-chew, her eyes widening as she subtly sits a little straighter and chances a glance at both sisters.

"Go ahead, J. Bring it on up," Tony says. The show they'd been watching switches to a news station, and they all watch as that news station's helicopter circles the building of CATCO.

"Oh, no," Kara mumbles and quickly places her bowl of ice cream and container of pot stickers on the coffee table before her. "I work there."

 _'If you are just joining us,'_ the news anchor speaks off camera. _'-there appears to be a situation going on at CATCO. Approximately twenty minutes ago, several frantic 911 calls were placed by terrified workers when an unknown assailant stormed the building and took CEO Cat Grant hostage.'_

"And that's my boss," Kara bemoans. She shares a look with Darcy and Alex- Alex who's subtly texting away on her phone and Darcy who's trying to shield her texting sister from the two Avengers.

Suddenly, the roof access door is kicked open on screen and Cat Grant stumbles into view looking every bit annoyed. A man in tac gear strides out behind her, brandishing a glock in one hand while gesturing wildly with the other.

 _'Sources inside have confirmed that this man is indeed looking to have Supergirl make an appearance. He was heard ranting and raving inside about our city's favorite superhero, and when he wasn't getting the answers he wanted he then physically manhandled Ms. Grant.'_

The camera zooms in when the man grasps Ms. Grant roughly by the arm, and Kara jumps up to her feet. Darcy and Alex tense, and Kara looks at them helplessly. "I-"

Darcy sighs, "Go." Clint and Tony finally catch on to the tension in the room, the both of them glancing between a heavily breathing Kara and a determined looking Darcy. "They're Avengers. If you can't trust these doofuses, then who can you trust?"

Alex gives her a terse nod. "Henshaw says he's a disgruntled DEO agent. He knows you.. he knows me," her sister tells her. "Be careful."

Kara gulps and then looks to Tony. "Your elevator doesn't happen to make a stop on the roof, does it?"

"Uh, it does. Why?"

She feebly grins at him before walking around the couch, pulling the hair tie free from her hair and striding for the elevator. "I don't need the assistance, but if you want to lend a hand.."

The elevator doors open before her and Kara steps in, turning and facing the room's occupants. Clint and Tony are curiously staring at her, and Kara's lips twitch as she pulls the glasses from her face and let them gently fall to the floor. Her hands come up to hover over her chest briefly, and then her fingers are delving beneath the fabric between each button and she's ripping her blouse open. Beneath it, the very familiar sight of a red 'S' stands out against blue fabric in all it's superhero glory.

Tony and Clint are still gaping as the doors close and Kara- er, Supergirl- is soon spotted outside the tower, knocking on the window as she hovers there briefly. She beckons for Tony to hurry and when she zooms off, Tony scrambles for the elevator next.

"JARVIS, have a suit waiting on the rooftop for me. I need it pronto, my friend." Clint's squawking in protest, but Tony's too giddy to care. "There is no way I'm passing up the opportunity to team up with Supergirl."

 **xXx**

Iron Man and Supergirl return a mere twenty minutes later after what was probably one of the most laughable hostage situations to ever take place, and the two strut into the Common Room without a care in the world. That is until Kara catches sight of Clint staring at her- head tilt and all- and she falters in her steps.

"So.. I'm Supergirl."

"You think?" Clint scoffs, but the corners of his lips are twitching upward into a smile.

Kara nervously grins, tucking her windswept blonde locks behind her ears before her hands fall at her sides and she subconsciously reaches back for her cape just to wrap around her and keep her hands busy.

"So we didn't get to talk much while we were flying about," Tony grins, pouring himself a drink from the small bar in the kitchen. "-but I have to know. Are you related to Superman or are the costumes just pure coincidence?"

"Actually," Darcy laughs. "-that's a funny story."

"Really?" Clint drawls.

"Kara is Superman's older cousin!" Alex blurts, laughing out loud when her little sister groans.

Clint and Tony chuckle, though they seem surprised by Kara being actually related and older.

"My home planet- Krypton- was predicted to be doomed by a meteor shower. My aunt and uncle wanted their son to live a long life, so they had planned to send him down to Earth. Only they couldn't follow him and since Kal-El, or Superman as you know him, was a baby, my parents decided to send me down with him," Kara explains.

"I was barely a teenager and Kal-El was literally just learning how to sit up on his own, and they made me promise to watch over him. I agreed and Kal-El was sent down in a pod of his own before me. Then I left, but the pod I was in got knocked off course and I ended up falling into a deep sleep and circling space for years and years. Then when my pod finally corrected, I crash landed on Earth and Kal-El was already Superman while I was still just a teenager."

"He then led her to my house," Alex picks up. "-just days after my parents had taken in Darcy, and the three of us were raised together-"

"-and taught to help keep Kara her secrets. Kal-El got enough beef with the media, so could you imagine what Kara would get?" Darcy asks. "We actually thought it'd be a lot worse and it would have had it not been for Cat Grant advocating for Supergirl after saving that plane full of passengers."

"This is so cool," Tony breathes in awe. "Like, seriously. When Supergirl first made an appearance, we-"

"You were giddy like a bunch of school girls," Darcy snorts. "Don't try and play it off."

Tony pouts, but Clint doesn't seem ashamed at all. "So if Superman is Kal-El, who's Supergirl?"

"Still Kara," she smiles. "Kara Zor-El."

"Kara Zor-El, huh?" The way her name rolls off of Clint's tongue makes her blush yet again, she smirking and tilting her head downward so her curtain of hair will hide her face.

"Seriously?" Darcy groans, watching the interaction. "I had Alex and Kara visit for _me,_ not for you to swoop in and steal the show, Hawkass!"

Tony and Alex laugh at Darcy's petulant expression, and Clint winks in response. "Until Kara says so otherwise, you're just going to have to get used to it."

Darcy glances at Kara, but Kara merely shrugs and continues grinning in that bashful/nervous way of hers. Again, Darcy groans. "Unbelievable!"

* * *

 **Guys, I know this just ends so suddenly, but I seriously did not intend for this ficlet to turn out the way it did. Clint and Tony had a mind of their own and I didn't know how to make them stop. Sorry!**


	15. Practical Magic

Growing up, there were four things that Antonia Darclyn Lewis-Owens lived by. Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder, keep Rosemary by your garden gate, plant roses and lavender for luck, and to fall in love whenever she could. And while she loved sneaking chocolate after dinner with her aunt Gilly or dancing naked under the light of a full moon with _the_ aunts, the other aspects of her family's history was not so grand.

The end of Antonio's junior year in high school had her already applying for scholarships, and by the time graduation rolled around she was ready to pack up and start over at Culver University in Virginia. And start over she did when she changed her name to 'Darcy Lewis' and threw herself head first into school work while barely returning calls and letters back home.

She traveled from Virginia to New Mexico for an internship, from New Mexico to London as a faithful friend and unpaid intern, and then finally back to the States where Tony Stark hired her astrophysicist and gave Darcy the opportunity to finish her college career. Post cards were sent out every few months, but other than that Darcy had little to no contact with her family.

Stark Tower employees and the Avengers were quite easy to get along with. No one other than Jane and Thor knew of her family history, and both of them respected her wishes to never bring it up. And though Darcy didn't practice like she once did, she did plant Rosemary in rectangle planters and placed them on either side of the doors to Jane's labs, roses hung in two corners of the lab, and lavender was planted in several square planters and placed randomly around the lab. Tony had offered to build her a small greenhouse atop the tower's roof, but Darcy discouraged that idea with a smile and the others quickly got used to entering Darcy's living space or Jane's lab to the smell of rosemary, roses, and lavender.

 **xXx**

Darcy's laying in bed, being woken by her phone chirping and alerting her that Strike Team Delta's on their way home. She sleepily replies so that the sender knows she's got it and promptly falls back asleep. Then the next time she's woken up, it's to the mattress dipping behind her and an arm sliding over her waist until a warm hand snakes beneath her tank top and rests against her stomach.

"Mmmm," she groggily mumbles. "Good mission?"

"The usual."

"Where's Nat? She usually like post-mission cuddles."

Clint huffs, amused. "The mission was boring so she mentioned something about giving Steve an early morning wake-up."

Darcy giggles. "Sometimes I'm glad Natasha only wanted us for cuddles and not sex. She seems like she'd wear me out."

This time, Clint laughs. "Go to sleep, Darce. It's only three in the morning."

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Darcy finds herself feeling lonely. She's not sure what it is- she's happy with the way her life is currently going- but something just feels.. _off_. And it's only when she catches Pepper curled up with Tony one night during movie night that she realizes what's wrong.

Clint.

Her boyfriend of nearly a year hasn't been as affectionate with her like he usually is, and as she runs over the last several days in her mind, she realizes that he's actually distanced himself from her quite a bit. Sure, they still share the same bed, but Clint's usually the big spoon to her little spoon and she hasn't felt him cuddling her the past three nights. In fact, he's barely even around until it's time for bed.

She's lost in thought, hands automatically working on their own as she piles together a sandwich, that she misses Steve's entrance. It's only when she's adding the finishing touches by adding chips to her plate that Steve clears his throat, startling Darcy enough that chips spill out onto the counter. "You good there, Lewis?"

"What? Hmm, yeah." Her smile is tad bit forced, enough so that Steve catches it. "You good there, Rogers? You're lookin' a little worn out."

He chuckles and glances down at his sweat damp shirt. "Clint gave me a good beating today. And speaking of," he awkwardly clears his throat. "-is Clint good? He seemed a little-"

"Off?" Darcy guesses. At Steve's nod, her shoulders slump with a great sigh. "Oh, thank God someone else noticed it. I was just thinking about that when you walked in which is why I seemed-"

"Off as well?" Steve says. Darcy mock glares at him as leans forward a little in his seat, resting his arms atop the island counter top. "You two good, Darcy? You can tell me, you know, if something's going on."

"No, we're good," she assures him. Quickly cleaning up the chips and wiping down the counter, Darcy worries her bottom lip the longer Steve remains quiet. "At least, I think we are. We haven't exactly been.. couple-y since-"

"Since..?"

"Since a couple days after his last mission." As she says this out loud, it's like something clicks into place and dread immediately fills her. Straightening up, Darcy glances at Steve with her own brow furrowed. "Hey, Steve, when you said Clint was acting off, just how exactly was he acting?"

"Just.. unusual," Steve shrugs. "Clint's strong as we all know, but he seemed _stronger_ somehow. I know how everyone in this building spars, but Clint seemed wild- almost as if he was possessed as he wailed on me."

Darcy freezes, the air catching in her lungs. Possessed. Almost as if he was _possessed._

But no, that can't be. She would have noticed it.

 _'You're noticing it now,'_ her mind whispers to her. _'You know it's true, Antonia. Pay. Attention!'_

The elevator dings open and Darcy startles badly, her heart pounding as the air whooshes from her lungs and forces her to breathe again. Steve's staring at her- startled as well- but he doesn't mention anything. Clint then walks in, shoulders hunched and hands tucked deep into pockets of the jeans he's now wearing. Darcy notices the paleness of his face, the bags beneath his eyes so dark that they're almost purple. She gulps and quickly averts her gaze, stomach churning as she glances at the plate of food before her.

"Here. I'm suddenly not hungry," she says and slides the plate to Steve. Now that she has an inkling of what could possibly be wrong, it's like all the signs are jumping out at her and making themselves known. "Clint, you want a sandwich?"

Clint's steps falter and he scowls, but when he catches sight of Darcy's probing gaze his features shift to that of nonchalance. "Sure, babe."

Steve hesitantly starts eating the sandwich in front of him, he being sure to keep the archer in his peripheral vision as Darcy starts putting together yet another sandwich. He doesn't miss the not-so-subtle glances Darcy keeps shooting at Clint, nor does he miss the way Clint eyes his girlfriend as if he's just truly seeing her for the first time. The archer then stands up from the stool he had perched himself on, he walking around the island bar and up behind Darcy. She tenses and falters with the mayo jar as Clint cages her in against the island, she then gulping as she feels him nuzzling the right side of her neck.

"Knock it off," she weakly laughs and nudges him away. "Now do you want lettuce and tomato?"

"Tomato, yes. Lettuce, no," he purrs. Darcy pauses, frowning. Clint's never turned down a condiment on a sandwich. He likes his sandwiches and burgers completely loaded down, so why is it that he's suddenly turning down one of them down?

"Okay," she drawls. She catches Steve's raised eyebrow and averts her gaze back to the sandwich she's building. "Anything else?"

Clint's back to his nuzzling, his hands moving from the counter to Darcy's hips where he squeezes her just so. "Mmm, you smell so.. magical," he purrs. "How did I not notice this before?" She freezes at his words, heart pounding harshly against her rib cage as the blood rushes in her ears. It's like time ceases to exist, and Darcy's only brought out of her mental musings when Clint's fingers dig harshly into her hips. "Witchy, witchy, witchy," he breathes against her ear.

Darcy's breath stutters as she swallows down the terrified sob that nearly escapes, her hands shaking as she drops everything. Clint's still nuzzling and grinning into the side of her neck, and it's taking everything in her to not cringe away. "Stop," she mutters.

"Aw, baby. Don't be like that."

Darcy can't stop the grimace and Steve notices. Seeing the distress etched in her features, Steve immediately knows something's not right. "Agent Barton," he practically demands attention. "Can I have a word with you?"

As Steve pushes away from the bar and stands, Clint finally pulls his face from Darcy's neck. "Relax, man. I'm just trying to get some time in with my girl."

Steve shifts at his friend's odd demeanor, but it's Darcy who takes charge of the situation. "There's just one problem. I'm not _your_ girl."

Nearly gaping, Steve watches as Darcy suddenly throws her head back and headbutts Clint in the face. The archer curses out loud and Darcy uses that brief distraction to step out from being in front him. Then grasping the back of Clint's head, Darcy slams his head down not once, not twice, but three times on the marbled bar top until he's out cold.

"What the hell, Darcy?!"

"That's- that's not Clint," she sobs. Still in a state of shock, Steve watches as Darcy kneels downs- still crying- and brushes her thumb along his brow. "I need you to not ask questions right now and tie Clint up. I'll explain what's going on, but I need to place a phone call first."

"Darcy.."

"Please, Steve," she pleads and finally looks up at him. "Just one quick phone call and then I'm all yours. Every question you'll have, I'll answer. Just- just tie Clint up and make sure he can't slip his restraints."

Steve opens his mouth to retort, but Darcy's panicked expression does him in. "Fine. Where do you want him?"

"The lounge is fine. If you look in the pantry, you'll find rope and zip ties. Natasha always leaves supplies lying around."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Steve huffs before going to find what he needs. Darcy then stands when Steve crouches beside Clint to scoop him up and take him to the sitting area, and she heaves a sigh as she reaches for her phone in her back pocket. Shakily unlocking her phone, Darcy scrolls down to one name she hasn't even uttered in quite some time, and hovers there briefly before pressing down on it and then holding the phone up to her ear. The phone rings four times in her ear before it clicks over and signaling that someone's answered, and Darcy starts talking before the other does.

"I need you to come up to Manhattan. Pronto."

 _"Well, hello, dear little sister. Hi, how are you? I'm good. Thanks for asking."_

"Kylie," Darcy groans. "This is serious. My boyfriend's possessed and I'm freaking out here. He _sniffed out_ that I was a witch," she frantically mutters while glancing at Steve who's busy tying up Clint. "-and I know I haven't practiced in years, but if a spirit can do that, then I'm pretty sure it's dangerous!"

The line is silent and then Kylie's sighing. _"Whatever. Give me five hours."_

"Thank you."

 _"Mhm. Are we going to need the aunts? Mom?"_

"No. No aunts and no Mom," Darcy frantically says. "Just- just you. We'll make do without them."

 _"Alright. See you soon."_

"Yeah. Thanks again, Kylie."

 _"Don't thank me until we're sure your boyfriend's in control of himself. Where are you staying at, anyway?"_

Darcy glances around the place, chewing the inside of her lip. "Uh, Stark Tower? There's visitor parking underground. S'not hard to miss. I'll let the building's security know you're coming so they don't stop you."

 _"Wow. So you throw in with superheroes now, huh? Who's the lucky boy toy?"_

"He's not a boy toy," Darcy mumbles while pinching the bridge of her nose. "Now will you please hurry up? None of my friends except for two knew I was a witch and now I have to come clean to everyone."

 _"Okay, okay, but you're explaining when I get there."_

"Yes, I know. Bye."

Darcy hangs up before Kylie can say anything else, she then turning around and finding that she has quite the audience. Natasha's on the verge of glaring at her and Steve, Bruce is busy checking for a pulse on Clint, Tony and Pepper actually looked shocked, and Jane and Thor are worriedly glancing between the team and their friend who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

"Would you like to explain just what is going on here?" Natasha asks, voice eerily calm.

Darcy gulps and pockets her phone, she hesitantly walking closer into the sitting lounge. "So some of you might be pissed and might even want me gone after this, but you have a right to know."

The room remains quiet- expectant of her explanation- and Jane huffs. Stepping forward and sidling up to her friend, she says, "While I'm sure we'd all like to know why you beat the hell out of your boyfriend, you don't owe us anything. And if you leave, I leave. Simple as that."

"Aye," Thor rumbles in agreement. "Where you go, we go, little sister."

Darcy has to fight back a wave of tears at their support, but then she finds herself gathering her wits and facing down the rest of the room. "That," she points at her boyfriend before she can lose her nerve. "-is Clint, but at the same times it's _not_ Clint."

Natasha goes still. "What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is.. Clint's possessed. For how long, I don't know, but he's been acting off for a while now and I only started piecing it together after Steve mentioned it."

All eyes turn to Steve and he holds his hands up in surrender while taking a step back. "I only mentioned that he was acting wild, wailing on me while we were sparring. He wasn't being his usual self and Darcy just took it from there." Their friends are oddly quiet, prompting Steve to say more. "He was also acting odd with Darcy. I've seen their displays of affection- we all have- but he kept pushing when Darcy told him to stop, so she forcefully made him."

"That's not like Boy Wonder," Tony frowns. "You sure he wasn't just extra.. handsy?"

Darcy nods. "I'm sure. I- I'm, uh, I'm a witch," she mutters. "And no one other than Jane and Thor knew, but _it,_ " she gestures in Clint's direction. "-smelled it on me. He told as much which is why I freaked and knocked him out."

"A w-witch?" Pepper asks, stepping closer to Tony.

"Non-practicing, but yeah. A witch," Darcy confirms. "I, uh, I come from a line of witches where only females are born into the family. I learned with my older sister Kylie, but when we were little I saw something that scared me," she confesses. Shakily breathing out, Darcy then explains as she wipes at her teary eyes. "My a-aunt, she was dating a bad man a long time ago. He was a murderer and he kidnapped my aunt and mom. They used belladonna to sedate him to try and escape, but where my mom was driving and her attention was split, she put a little too much of it into his alcohol and poisoned him.

"Terrified, my aunt Gillian convinced my Mom to use a dark spell to revive him. Only when they did, he attacked my aunt again so my mom killed him again. The spell they used, though, the Aunts always warned us against it because the person you'd be bringing back would only come back as something _dark_. Sure enough, his spirit came back very evil and possessed my aunt."

"Darcy," Jane coos. "That's enough. You don't have to explain."

Breathing in deeply, she offers Jane a faint grin and continues. "I continued to practice, but only until I learned absolute control and then I just stuck with herbs and flowers to bring forth positive energy and good health. Kind of like my Mom, actually," she nervously laughs. "My mom has a shop down on the island where she uses her talents to make shampoos, lotions, and soaps."

Silence reigns.

"Okay, so you're a witch," Bruce finally speaks up, nervously fidgeting with his glasses in hand. "What can you do for Clint if he really is possessed?"

"I can't do anything," she frowns. "Like I said, I'm non-practicing, but my sister kept up the family legacy. She's on her way to assess the possession and see what she's going to need to exorcise it."

Natasha's shoulders seem to slump. "So you can save him?"

Darcy nods. "Of course. It's just a matter of how strong the spirit is that's inside him. Some exorcisms are easy peasy, but others are- others are painful for the host. Kylie will be here soon, though, so she's going to need admittance into to the building."

"I'm on it," Pepper says and immediately pulls out her phone. "I'll let the security know we have a guest on the way."

"Thanks." As Pepper walks away and disappears inside the elevator, Darcy sort of hunches in on herself as she crosses her arms over her chest. "Now if you guys don't mind, I'd like a moment to myself. I need- I need to take a moment or two and wrap my mind around the fact you guys know my secret now."

She starts heading for one of the sofas, making sure to keep her distance from everyone when Tony's voice makes her cry again- relieved tears this time. "For what it's worth, kid, you don't have to go anywhere. A little hocus pocus is nothing. Especially since you haven't even _used_ in such a long time."

 **xXx**

Over the next couple of hours, Natasha manages to get past the barrier that is Thor and Jane, and has a little one on one with Darcy to figure out just what exactly she can do. She understands that the Widow is just trying to assess how much of a threat she could be, and breathes a sigh of relief when Natasha asks for her to demonstrate the most she can do (which just so happens to be lighting a candle with just her breath).

"I'd have to have all sorts of ingredients and my family's grimoire if I wanted to do anything truly spectacular," Darcy had admitted. "So really, there's nothing to worry about. The only thing _I_ have to worry about is the fallout afterward. Clint's not going to be too happy with this secret of mine."

Natasha had smiled sadly. "Give him time. Explain to him as you've explained to us. He'll end up coming around."

Clint- or rather the entity possessing Clint- started to come to around that time, and Darcy had everyone stand several feet behind his back so he'd only see her. While everyone seemed calmed and seemed to take her word for everything, she wanted them to see with their own two eyes how Clint wasn't actually their Clint.

And sure enough, when _it_ came to, it started spitting and cursing at Darcy in anger. It was only when Natasha and the others started making themselves known did he calm and try to play it off as Darcy finally losing her mind, but the team had seen enough to know that it wasn't Clint talking to them.

 **xXx**

By the time Darcy's alerted to her sister pulling in in the underground garage, she's a nervous wreck. "Someone might wanna get the popcorn started. I'm sure there'll be an argument or three."

Tony chuckles and moves to make the snack, but one pointed glare from Natasha has him wilting in place. Possessed!Clint is sitting quietly in his chair, glowering at everyone who bothers casting him a glance. Another handful of minutes pass and then JARVIS is alerting them that Miss Owens is on her way up in the elevator. When the doors ding open, Darcy seems to stop breathing as her redheaded sisters steps off the elevator.

Kylie's prettier than Darcy remembers- all fair skin in her halter top and high-waisted shorts, gladiator sandals, and a slim chain headband with dangling feathers in her red-orange hair. She strides into the room without a second glance at the gathered individuals, and instead only has eyes for Darcy. "Antonia."

Darcy grimaces. "Kylie."

The sisters are staring at one another and it's Tony who interrupts. "Hold it!" He hurries forward to be next to the two related individuals, grinning manically and Darcy mentally groans. "Your name's _Antonia!_ I'm totally calling you Tony JR."

"Antonia Darclyn Lewis-Owens," she grumbles. "But now I just go by Darcy Lewis, and if you call me Tony JR., I will go to the press and milk it for every penny."

Kylie scoffs before Tony can further joke. "Of course you'd drop our family name."

"In case you've forgotten, Lewis is our family name, too." The atmosphere turns even more tense at Darcy's too calm tone, and Tony knows now is not the time to play around when he sees the ire in Darcy's eyes. Turning her attention back towards her sister, Darcy says, "Just because Dad died, it doesn't mean he's any less important."

"You know I didn't mean to imply that he was," Kylie frowns. All anger and tension seem to suddenly drain from her, and then her attention is turned to the bound man in the room. "So is that him? He's the reason you finally reached out to your family?"

Darcy leads her sister towards Clint who's looking even paler than before, sweat beading along his hairline. "Kind of ironic, isn't it?" She says. "I left because of what happened to aunt Gillian and now look at me. My boyfriend's possessed and I can't do this on my own because I chose to give up most magic."

Kylie's staring at her sister now, sympathy etched into her features instead of annoyance and anger. "You didn't have to run away, Anton- Darcy," she quickly corrects herself when Darcy glares at her. "We're family. We would've helped you through whatever you were feeling."

"Right." It's Darcy's turn to scoff now. "Because witnessing aunt Gillian beg Mom to let her die is something that's so easily forgettable. We were kids, Ky, and I was traumatized by the bad aspects of what we would eventually be capable of. I didn't want to be a part of that anymore."

"And now you're dragged back in all because the thing you were scared of is now happening to the love of your life." Darcy stares at her sister helplessly, Kylie then sighing and pulling herself to her full height. "Okay then, where shall we start?" She mumbles as she circles the bound Avenger. "When exactly did he start acting weird?"

"After his last mission," Darcy confesses, casting Natasha a wary glance. "It's classified, so I'm pretty sure you won't get any more details other than that."

Kylie hums and turns to the other redhead in question since she saw her sister look to her for assurance. "Is there anything you can tell me? Like if it was at least in the same state or anything?"

Natasha shrugs, crossing her arms over her chest. "It was out of the country. We were retrieving an 0-8-4, and Clint being Clint couldn't keep his hands to himself. There was a room full of.. relics and after touching one, Clint was complaining about one of them shocking him."

"So a cursed object then," Kylie realizes. She frowns and turns back to the possessed individual, clicking her tongue. "This might be a little tougher than expected."

"How so?" Darcy asks.

"Well, for starters.. we'll need an emergency coven." Glancing around the room, Kylie lets her gaze linger on Jane and Natasha. "Got any more girl friends?"

"Just- just Pepper," Darcy tells her, her mind catching up with her sister's train of thought. "If you're doing what I think you're doing, I'm in. I'll help if it saves Clint."

"Good. Now all we need are candles and sticks of some sort long enough to create a barrier around your boyfriend. Are there even brooms in this place?"

Tony scoffs. "Brooms? No. Robots clean up the messes around here. And what do you need Pepper for?"

Darcy and Kylie look thoughtful for one second, and then the brunette comes to a realization. "We have pool cues! Those should work."

"They will." Then turning to Tony, Kylie answers, "And we need Pepper because we need ladies to chant in order to exorcise this spirit."

Jane actually squeals in excitement, she calming a second later when all gazes turn on her. "I'm sorry. I just- when Darcy told me about her magical roots, I thought it was pretty cool and now I get to chant and be a witch for a day."

Kylie laughs and winks at her as Darcy starts directing the others to retrieve Pepper, the pool cues, and white candles from anywhere they have some. "Well, there is a little witch in all of us."

 **xXx**

When everything's gathered, the candles are placed around the room and lit, and the lights overhead are dimmed. Kylie takes the lead then, placing pool cues on the cleared lounge floor and forming a circle with it so that each ends are touching. She's muttering beneath her breath as she circles the cues, and then she instructs Steve and Thor to place Clint in the middle of them.

Clint hisses and tries to lash out, but the moment he's in the circle his entire body goes lax even as he glares at everyone around him.

"Okay, ladies, take a spot behind each cue. Grasp each stick where it's connected to the next and don't break the circle." As Kylie instructs them, Darcy smiles reassuringly at her friends and does as she's told. Jane, Pepper, and Natasha follow suit and soon enough they're all encircling Clint with their pool cues. "Now repeat after me: _dite perdant, te maledico._ "

"Dite perdant," Darcy and Natasha repeat. "-te maledico."

"D-Dite perdant, te maledico," Jane and Pepper join in.

"Dite perdant, te maledico."

The women's chanting start off as murmurs, their voices raising higher and higher with each passing moment. The second they start rocking back and forth, Clint finally whimpers and arches in pain on the floor. Darcy falters in her own chanting, but when she catches Natasha still going strong, she screws her head on straight and continues on. The longer the chant goes on, the harsher their voices get and the more Clint contorts in pain.

"Okay, okay, stop," Kylie instructs and sighs tiredly. "This isn't working."

"Then what will?" Natasha asks, panting and frowning at her partner at their feet.

"We need a little more.. _oomph._ "

Darcy's not sure whether it's because she's finally back in touch with her magical roots or because she's really terrified for Clint, but she's suddenly really _aware_ of her surroundings and the fact that Thor's magical aura is practically flaring out all around him.

"What about Æsir magic?" She asks distractedly. "Will that work?"

Kylie follows her sister's gaze to the tall blonde Asgardian, she recognizing him from all the TV footage, and hums in thought. "Do you think it will work with a male?"

Darcy shrugs. "Not really, but Thor wasn't who I had my mind on. Or rather, _what._ " Everyone's looking at Thor now as the Asgardian tries to follow Darcy's train of thought. And when he starts to grin, Darcy does to. "Heya, Big Guy, where's Mew-Mew?"

"Hold that thought, little sister." Smirking, Thor holds his hand out at his side and Mjölnir comes flying in from the coffee table they had moved into the kitchen for the time being. Grasping the handle, he holds his hammer tight. "Can Mjölnir do for you what I can not?"

"Yeah, I think _she_ can," Darcy slowly grins. "All you have to do is hold it for us so Kylie and I can lay our hands atop it. Hopefully her magic will run through the the both of us since we're magical, and then seep into the others to complete the circle."

"It's worth a shot," Kylie muses. "-but I think we still need a little more-"

"Our blood," Darcy interrupts. "My blood. Your blood. _Our_ blood."

Her sister raises an eyebrow in surprise. "Wow. Didn't think you had it in you, sister."

"Well, when it's someone you love on the line, you'll do anything."

Much to everyone's dismay, Kylie and Darcy suggest to continue on with just the smallest bit of blood magic. Both sisters slice their palms, momentarily linking hands as they give each other a solemn nod. Thor then holds Mjölnir up for them, making sure to stay behind the circle, and smiles in encouragement when Kylie and Darcy lay their bleeding palms on his trusty hammer and gasp at the sudden rush of power.

Locking eyes with each other, the Owens sisters flash each other a brief smile before reaching out with their free hands and grasping for Jane and Pepper. Then Jane and Pepper reach out, and complete the circle by grasping Natasha's hands. As one, the women seem to jolt and gasp at the power flowing between them, and Clint screams in agony.

" _Dite perdant, te maledico_." Kylie and Darcy start the chant as one, and the rest of the ladies pick up after them without prompt.

Clint seems to be screaming and hollering more than he was before, and even though Darcy looks like she wants to stop and soothe him, she doesn't. The chanting goes on even longer than before with Mjölnir sparking beneath Kylie and Darcy's hands, and then when it all seems like it's too much for Clint, he tosses onto his back and arches up only for the shadowy figure of the spirit possessing him to pull free and float several feet above him.

Darcy sobs with relief, but she doesn't dare lift her hand from Mjölnir. "Get him out," she says instead, nodding at Natasha. "Break the circle and get him out."

Immediately, the pool cues are kicked away and Steve's rushing in to help Natasha pull Clint to his feet and away from the spirit that had possessed their friend. Jane stumbles back and Tony rushes to Pepper's side and pulls her back as well. The spirit seems to convulse mid-air, and Darcy and Kylie stare at it with determination etched into their features. As one, their chanting turns into something else and in a completely different language, and they raise their free hands towards the spirit.

" _We banish you, evil one. Be gone. Be gone. Be gone!_ "

The spirit explodes, particles of it floating downward and vanishing before they even hit the floor. Darcy and Kylie sag with exhaustion, and Thor's quick to pull Mjölnir away from them as Steve and Tony then catch them before the ladies can hit the ground.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, the last thing Darcy sees before blacking out is Clint staring at her as if just seeing her for the first time.

* * *

Needless to say, Clint was upset about Darcy's magical secret. But after much talking, a small break to sort things out, and an even longer talk about what this could mean for their future, Clint and the Avengers find themselves at a small manor of sorts in Massachusetts on Halloween night.

"Are they really going to fly?" Steve muses, glancing around at the gathered crowd in front of his friend's family's home.

"Not really," Clint laughs. Staring up at the roof of said manor, he's grinning at the six gathered Owens women all dressed in black and pointed hats. "They kind of just.. float down with their umbrellas."

"And all these people are just okay with this? How have we never heard of this family before?"

"It's an local secret," Clint tells him. "The family used to feared and hated, but after Darcy's aunt Gillian's possession, she said the town started to come around. Now they cherish Halloween night around here."

"Huh." Steve goes back to watching the women atop the roof, he then chuckling while side-eyeing his friend. "You know, if you and Darcy continue going strong, your daughters will be up there with them some day." Clint goes silent long enough to draw Steve's full attention, only to find the archer smirking. "Clint?"

"About that," he drawls. "Has Darcy not said anything to you yet?"

"Uh, no? What exactly are we talking about?"

"Little Lila Barton-Owens is coming soon. Congratulations, Cap, you're going to be a godfather."

* * *

 **For this ficlet, 'Lewis' is her father's (Michael) last name which is why she's Darcy Lewis. When she distanced herself from all things magic, she dropped the Owens name and just kept her father's. Also, I know it's more plausible that Thor would be godfather, but Thor's always the obvious choice and I wanted someone else be it. But lets be real here, you know there was a damn contest for godparent rights between the men and women of the tower.**


	16. The 100 AU

**Author's Note: First off, I apologize in advance for any and all mistakes. I've been sitting on this particular ficlet for a while and decided to finally post it whether I like it or not. The reason for me holding this back is because this pa** **rticular ficlet is COMPLETELY AU! I'm serious, there's no Marvel 'verse in here even though I'm using Marvel characters. In fact, everyone is part of The 100 'verse.**

 **With that being said, there will be NO SUPERPOWERS! However, Steve will have his muscular form and Bucky will have both flesh arms.**

 **This might sound odd, but just read. Hopefully I can pull this off with how I'm thinking it.** **Also, there will be grounder!speak in this. At first, I had the translations at the bottom, but I didn't want you scrolling back and forth to see what is going on so the English translation will be in () at the time it's being spoken. Got it?**

* * *

Ark 2 was fairly legendary for housing what everyone thought were the miscreants of Earth. No one knew how the less fortunate or the extremely shady individuals managed to board the pod stations set on course for space when the Nuclear Apocalypse started, but they did.

Twenty-four stations floated through space and watched from afar as Earth was destroyed. Then one by one, stations started coming together and forming one large station. The Ark- as they took to calling themselves- was picky with who they let join the one large station, which then forced the remaining twelve to band together. Only what no one expected was for Ark 2 to breed some of the most intelligent, strongest, and talented individuals.

 **xXx**

"Are you sure Earth is safe?" Steve asks. "We're still several years away from when the planet should be clear of all radiation."

"Ark 1 fell months ago," Tony yawns. "In the beginning, when Ark 1 first sent their supposed criminal children down, Bruce picked up a few of the children's radio signals from Earth. It's livable down there, but that's as much as Bruce picked up before a storm interrupted said signals."

"So why is only a small group going down first if we know it's already livable?"

"Because the elder generation are entitled assholes," Tony shrugs. "I don't know, Captain Rogers. All I know is that Howard and Odin have been tasked with putting a team together to send down and prepare a spot for when the rest of the Ark follows. They want the younger generation- the muscles!- to do all the hard work for them."

Steve snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know Buck won't stay behind, even if it means he'll take my spot as the Head of Security."

"Yeah, I know, which is why Sergeant Barnes will be part of the team as well. Chancellor Frigga has assigned Heimdall as Captain in your absence and Nick as Sergeant, so that's that. The rest of our team will include Thor, Bruce, Pepper, Natalia, Clint, Sif, Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg. Coulson will be tagging along to keep an eye on us as a handler of sorts."

Steve frowns. "That's a small team for such a big task."

"Yes, well, we might also have a few drones helping us out that Howard and I built. We're not going down completely unprepared," Tony says.

"Right," the muscled blonde drawls. "And just when are we leaving?"

"One week. Everyone's gotta take a refresher course on Earth Survival Skills, although I'm pretty sure Barton's the only tool who slept through most of his classes."

"Okay then. We better round everyone up as soon as possible and tell them the good news. Better to see who's going to bump heads before we're shoved into a pod headed for Earth."

* * *

Rounding up the team destined for Earth was a good thing to do in advance. Majority of the team got along exceptionally well, all except for Bucky and Fandral. The amorous blonde took great pleasure in hitting on Sif, Natalia, and Pepper, and even though the ladies could take care of themselves, Bucky was still annoyed with the man.

The squabbling eventually became too much and Steve was forced to relieve the blonde of his upcoming duty after a talk with Odin and Howard. But with Fandral being cut from the team, Hogun and Volstagg refused to go without their friend. Odin tried to make them see reason, but Thor assured his father that their small team was more than capable of doing what needed to be done when his friends wouldn't budge.

Then the day the pod dubbed 'Avengers' is set to depart, Ark 2 is rather somber. Chancellor Frigga frets over her son Thor and his best friend Sif while Maria Stark frets over her son Tony. Pepper, Bucky, and Steve all have no family left on the Ark so it's not much of a bother to help Howard Stark load their pod with all their necessities, and Clint and Natalia just kind of drift towards Phil seeing as he's been kind of an pseudo-Father to the both of them.

" _Ten minutes 'til departure_ ," Howard's voice sounds over the speaker system. " _Start boarding the pod and strap in_."

"You ready, punk?" Bucky asks, nudging Steve's shoulder as he stomps into the pod, a smirk curving his lips.

"As ready as I'll ever be, jerk." Steve huffs a laugh, overseeing the team as they strap in and prepare for the wild ride. "We don't have enough intel about what's on the ground, so I'm kind of worried about what will greet us when we land."

"Aw, chin up, Cap!" Clint grins, upside down and hanging from the second level of their pod. "If a bunch of kids can survive after landing, it'll be a piece of cake for us. What's the worse that can happen?"

 **xXx**

After a rough landing, the gathered team in the pod take a long moment to gather their wits before unbuckling and checking for damage. Though the second their attention is brought to the windows and what's outside their little safe haven, they're all staring out the windows in complete awe. They've read about Earth and what the planet is capable of producing, as well as seeing pictures in textbooks too old to be handled by hands nowadays, but seeing Earth with their own eyes is more than a little mind blowing.

The trees are tall and alive with color, and their limbs blow in a decently strong breeze. White clouds dot a vibrant blue sky and the sun beams down brightly which is the complete opposite from what they're used to seeing in space. Small birds can be seen flying about from inside their pod, and small shrubbery can be seen shaking as if some small game is hiding within.

"As of right now," Bruce says, startling everyone after the long moment of silence. "-we can use the pod for shelter. Our first priority should be finding water and food before we search for anyone from Ark 1."

"Doctor Banner is right," Phil supports him. "Spread out, but not too far. Keep your eyes open and guard up."

Bruce and Phil decide to remain in the pod while everyone else splits into pairs. Steve and Bucky, Tony and Pepper, Clint and Natalia, and Thor and Sif. Steve, Bucky, and Clint are given handguns with the minimum amount of ammunition since they were such rare items to have in space, and the others have a weapon of sorts should they need it. Tony has a glove that shoots honest to God lasers, Natasha and Pepper have electric batons that Howard had rigged up for them, Thor has a hammer that Odin had said was a family heirloom, and Sif has a short sword.

The groups spread out from where their pod crash landed, ignoring the path of downed trees and scorched ground behind said pod. They spend what feels like a couple hours setting a perimeter around their temporary camp, mentally making a map for future reference, and just taking in their surroundings and how untouched it all seems.

They all eventually meet back up on the scorched path, trading information about what they'd seen on their brief trek, especially about the glowing insects. However, their good humor is rather short lived. An odd hissing noise brings everyone up short, followed by a bone chilling growl.

"Please tell me someone skipped their rations?" Tony mutters. At everyone's uneasy expression, he softly swears. "What the hell was that then?"

Another growl sounds and Steve quickly gestures for a roundup. The team comes together and everyone goes back to back while keeping a watchful eye out. "Anyone see anything?" Steve asks.

"Clear on the left," Bucky mumbles.

"Same on the right," Natalia informs them.

Silence falls upon the group and then it's Sif who tells them, "I've spotted movement back here. Large animal of sorts. It's.. hunting us."

"Well, hell," Bucky mumbles. "What's the plan, Cap?"

"Don't die and start inching your way back to the pod. If an animal makes an appearance, lets hope it's edible."

The threatening noises of the animal starts circling them and everyone shifts uncomfortably as they slowly inch their way towards the pod that's at least still fifty yards away. By the time they make it towards the downed ramp, Coulson and Bruce are standing there- Coulson with a rifle and aimed towards the woods before them.

"We picked up two heat signatures," Bruce quietly tells them. "We started hearing the noises about ten minutes ago."

"And this thing still hasn't attacked?" Tony grumbles. "I'm not gonna be cooped up in the pod all night long. Why don't _we_ just hunt _it_ instead?"

"I'm sorry, but what have you hunted up in space?" Pepper asks, grinning sweetly. "Don't be stupid, Tony."

"Well, whether we know how to hunt or not, we need to be prepared now. It's creeping closer."

Bruce looks up from a small screen located just on the inside of their pod, he tensing and falling behind everyone else as they ready their weapons. A good twenty yards or so in front of them, the largest black feline they've ever laid eyes on slinks out from between the trees.

"What the hell is that?" Clint squeaks.

"A panther, I think," Steve frowns. "We've read about them."

"It is," Thor confirms with a grumble. "A large beast that will make for a large feast."

"Hopefully," Phil says. "The person who makes the kill gets out of cleaning and gutting work."

There are a few excited murmurs, but as the black panther continues to slink closer they completely forget about the second heat signature their systems had picked up. But then before anyone from the team can charge in and play hero, an arrow flies from out of the trees and embeds itself into the panther's side. The large cat yowls and hisses while stumbling to the side, and two more arrows embed themselves beside the first.

"Holy shit!" Clint yelps and the team immediately goes on alert.

From between the trees, a woman steps out and stalks up to the cat without a care in the world. She grips a wooden bow in hand and a quiver is strapped to her back with several more arrows, but that's the least eye-catching thing about her. No, the thing that has everyone gaping and staring is the way the woman is dressed. She wears a holey gray yarn long sleeve sweater, black skin-tight pants and black boots. Her hair is pulled back into a large braid with a couple feathers hanging towards the tail end, and there's a stripe of blue running across both eyes along with a thin stripe of white running down from the middle of her forehead, nose and chin.

"Is she from Ark 1?" Bucky wonders.

"Has to be," Tony mumbles. "No one could have survived when the bombs started dropping."

The female crouches next to the injured cat, placing her bow on the ground and unsheathing a dagger from her boot. " _Yu gonplei ste odon (_ _Your fight is over_ _),_ " she says right before she slits the cat's throat.

"Uh, Nat? Translation, please," Steve asks since Natalia is their linguist specialist.

"I- I'm not sure," she frowns, brow pulling together in confusion. "It's nothing I've ever heard before."

They watch as the woman bows her head over the cat, and the second she starts skinning it, Steve clears his throat. Loudly.

The woman startles, eyes landing on them for the first time before they go wide in surprise. She scrambles for her bow and an arrow from her back as she stands to her full height, she then nocking it shakily and taking aim at them. " _Chon yu bilaik? (Who are you?)_ " She yells. " _Haukom yu kamp raun hir? (_ _Why are you here?_ _)_ "

Steve's hands go up in surrender, but everyone else tenses as Phil, Bucky, and Clint take aim right back. "We mean you no harm," Steve yells out so she can hear him over the distance between them. When her aim doesn't waver, Steve looks to his team at his sides and tells them to stand down. "Weapons down," he mutters. "If we want answers, she needs to trust us."

"We also need to understand her," Natalia says, but eases out of her fight stance. "I can't make out the language."

Steve sighs and looks back out across the space between them and the newcomer. He takes several steps forward, only for the woman to frantically shake her head at him. " _No! Ste daun weron yu ste kamp! (_ _No! Stay where you are!_ _)_ " He freezes.

"Well, _no_ is pretty clear," Pepper frowns. "Is she- is she scared of us?"

"We come in peace!" Clint then tries, earning a snort from Tony. Clint makes a show of setting down his gun, catching Steve's gaze and smirking. "Everyone, listen to Cap. Weapons down." All weapons are finally lowered and the woman still looks clearly uneasy. Her aim finally wavers once the last weapon is laid at their feet, and she lowers the bow so she's only aiming at the ground now.

"Good," Steve says in relief. "My name is Steve," he tells her while gesturing to himself. "-and these are my friends," he then says while gesturing to everyone else. "Do you have a name?"

The woman frowns, staring at him intently while he keeps gesturing to himself and saying _Steve_. Then finally catching on, she gulps on nods while pointing to herself. " _Darsi._ "

" _Darsi,_ " Steve tries, letting the name roll off his tongue several times. "Kind of like Darcy, right?"

Darsi grins. " _Sha. (_ _Yes._ _)_ "

"How- how are you here, _Darsi_?" Phil asks, stepping forward and taking a bit of charge since he's technically the handler of these assembled adults. "And what language are you speaking?"

Her lips purse in thought and her head tilts to the side. As she continues to stare, Steve takes another step forward and explains. "We.. are from the Sky," he says as he gestures to the people behind him and then pointing to the sky. "Where are you from?"

" _Skaikru (_ _Sky people_ _)_ ," Darsi realizes with a start. Then, " _Ai'm kom hir (_ _I'm from here_ _),_ " she says and gestures to the woods around her.

"Did she say _here_?" Tony gapes. "As in she's from here, _the ground?!_ Not possible."

"Apparently it is," Natalia says in awe. "She's dressed.. differently and speaks a language not even I know."

The group fall into an awed silence, Darsi then scoffing and crouching once more. With her bow set aside once more, Darsi retakes her dagger and starts skinning the beast of a cat right before their eyes. Still in awe, Natalia stumbles forward some more before crouching and getting Darsi's attention once more. "Is that edible?" She asks, bunching several of her fingers and gesturing to her mouth as if she was shoving food inside. "Food?"

Darsi's eyes light up in recognition. " _Sha (Yes)._ _Enti? (Hungry?) Den kot op (Then cut)._ " She pulls another dagger from her other boot, flipping the dagger in the air so she catches it by the blade and holds the handle out to the redhead.

"I think she wants you to help," Steve muses. "Maybe she'll share."

"Hopefully." Natalia stands and closes the distance, she grinning as Darsi starts miming how and where to cut when Natalia takes the dagger.

The rest of the women crowd the two skinning the cat, and Natalia introduces everyone one by one. Darsi gives them all a smile, introducing herself once more. When the men are just standing there looking pretty, Darsi mentions a _faya_ and once they catch on that she wants them to build a _fire_ , there's a scramble to collect nearby wood and get on that.

"She's a real looker, ain't she?" Bucky mutters to Steve. "No girls in space have curves quite like the Earth-girl does."

Steve snorts. "Buck, now's not the time to flirt. At least wait until we can break the language barrier."

Bucky laughs and claps Steve on the back, he catching Darsi's gaze and flashing her a cocky smile. Darsi frowns at him, but then rolls her eyes as Bucky waggles his eyebrows. "Oh yeah, she'll come around."

"Head's up, everyone!" Phil calls out. "We've got incoming!"

"More possible food?" Clint perks up.

"No. Humans," Bruce says, cleaning his eyeglasses nervously. "Two of them."

"Two?" Tony huffs. "Just how the hell did these people survive all this time?"

"Who knows," Steve says. "-but keep your guards up. We're lucky to run into one friendly. Lets not chance our luck now."

Not even a minute later, the two figures stumble into the clearing- one light skinned and the other dark skinned. And even though Darsi knew something was up when Natalia grasped her by the arm and she saw everyone form a close-knit circle with their weapons out again, the other newcomers still startle her enough to nock an arrow and take aim at the woman brandishing a machete.

" _Hod up! Chon yu bilaik? (_ _Stop! Who are you?_ _)_ " Darsi yells as the Skaikru behind her back her up.

" _Ai laik Okteivia kom Skaikru (_ _I am Octavia of the Sky People_ _)_ ," the girl out front says. "- _en ai gaf gouthru klir (_ _and I seek safe passage_ _)._ " Her gaze darts between everyone, the bruising and blood on her face worrying quite a few of the gathered team.

" _Chil yo daun! (_ _Stand down!_ _)_ " Her partner yells. As he steps forward, all six foot of him, Darsi gasps and sags in relief.

" _Linkon! (Lincoln!)_ " The two assembled groups ease up at their then friendly demeanor, even more so when Darsi completely drops her weapon and runs to hug the man named Linkon. " _Lukot gon yun (_ _Friend of yours?_ _)_ " She then nods at the one who called herself Okteivia.

" _Sha (Yes)._ "

Then looking at Okteivia, Darsi grins sheepishly. " _Heya. Eni lukot gon Linkon ste lukot gon ain (_ _Hello. Any friend of Lincoln is a friend of mine._ _)._ "

Okteivia smiles then. " _Mochof (Thank you)._ " Then nodding towards the assembled group still by the pod, she asks, " _Lukots gon yun (_ _Friends of yours_ _)?_ "

Darsi glances over her shoulder and shrugs. " _Emo're skaikru (_ _They're sky people._ _)."_

" _Skaikru?_ " Okteivia's eyebrows nearly meet her hairline. "They don't look like any sky people I've seen before."

"An English speaker, yes!" Tony fist pumps. "Hey, c'mere! Maybe you can answer how the hell you people survived down here with all the radiation."

Okteivia and Linkon glance at one another before she sheathes her weapon on her back once more, she then taking Linkon's hand in her own before following Darsi back towards the other gathered group. "I survived radiation because I came from space," the dark haired girl admits. "-and Lincoln survived because well, I'm not actually sure how the _Trigedakru-_ uh, tree people-" she amends when she sees the confused expressions. "-survived at all."

"Space?" Phil perks up. "Are you part of Ark 1?"

"Uh, yes..?" Okteivia admits. "And you..?" But as she glances at the pod behind them and their relatively clean clothes, she realizes the answer all on her own. "You're from Ark 2."

"We are," Steve confirms. "We were sent down to start making this place livable for when the rest of the Ark comes down, but we didn't count on other people surviving all these years."

Okteivia scoffs. "You're telling me. When we crash landed, we accidentally killed some people from a small village. It's been war ever since," she somberly admits. "We've made some peace with some of the _trikru_ , but most of them are still hostile and the _Azgeda-_ the Ice Nation- wish to see us dead."

"Jesus," Tony mutters. "What the hell did we just get ourselves into?"

"A whole lot," Okteivia smirks. "I can fill you in later, but right now we're sort of on a mission. What's left of my people and a whole lot of Lincoln's people are being controlled by some type of artificial intelligence, and we need to stop this asap. We were just on our way to find a woman by the name of Luna-"

"Actually," Linkon speaks up, cutting Okteivia off. "We don't need Luna anymore. Not if Darsi still stays with the star gazer."

"Wait, what?" Clint stares at Linkon. "You speak English and the other unidentifiable language? How?!"

"A man fell from space long ago," Linkon grins. "He taught me. Then I met Octavia, and I taught her grounder-speak."

"Grounder-speak?" Natalia asks.

"Yeah, it's pretty much the language of Earth now," Octeivia informs them. "So, anyway, if we're done here then we should get going. We kind of have to save the Earth before the homicidal AI decides to nuke it again or whatever it is she has planned for it."

"Wait! If you need help, we'd like to offer," Steve says, standing to his full height. "Though we're from different Arks, you're our people as are everyone else."

Octeivia looks up at Linkon and he shrugs. "Well, okay. If you have guns, I suggest you bring them. Grounders are a very serious threat and you'll be happy to have such a long range weapon on you."

"I don't want everyone heading out," Phil suddenly informs them. "Captain Rogers, if you'd like to take a small team, I'm all for it, but the rest of everyone else will stay here."

Steve nods. "That's fine. Bucky, Natalia and Thor are with me."

Tony and Clint, of course, grumble, but they settle in around their pod especially since Darsi tells Octeivia to tell the others that dinner preparation was all up to them.

" _Darsi,_ " Linkon then says to get her attention. "The star gazer- _Jein-_ where is she?"

" _Jein (Jane)?_ _Em's gon houm (_ _She's at home_ _)._ "

" _Osir gaf in Jein (_ _We need Jane_ _). Em's sheidgeda jus (_ _She's night blood_ _)_."

"Uh, what's going on?" Bucky asks as Linkon and Darsi continue to talk in their language.

Octeivia translates. "There's this small chip that needs to be embedded in the neck of the next Commander," she tells them. "The chip is the second half of the homicidal AI- the nicer part- and we need a night blood- a person with black blood- to step up as Commander and take down the false Commander that's currently leading the Grounders and the Ice Nation, while also giving us the kill code for the AI. We thought there was only one other night blood left- Luna- but Linkon said this Jein woman is also a night blood and Darsi apparently knows her."

"Okay. We're good to go," Lincoln says as he tugs on Octavia's hand. "Come on. Darsi will lead."

 **xXx**

The entire walk is tense and quiet, and a lot further than 'the Avengers' had realized. Halfway through, they come upon a running stream and while Steve starts talking about boiling water, Darsi, Linkon, and Okteivia crouch down and start scooping water into their mouths.

Bucky laughed, "Well, they've been down here longer than we have. They know if it's safe or not," and went to join them in drinking.

The rest of the walk is filled with little commentary from Bucky and his appreciative comments towards Darsi- especially when she shoots a couple of birds with her bow and arrow- earning him amused snorts from Okteivia and Linkon, and wary glances from Darsi herself.

"How much further?" Steve suddenly asks. "I don't think we'll make it back to our camp before nightfall."

" _Chit?_ " Darsi asks.

At his confused expression, Okteivia grins. "She asked _what?_ "

Linkon translates for Darsi with a huff of amusement. She keeps them walking forward another few yards before stopping, she then placing two fingers in her mouth and whistling long and loud, and then three short.

"Is she signalling?" Thor asks, gripping his hammer tighter.

"Yes," Linkon tells them. "It is better to let your friends know you are coming then to surprise your friends and have a knife plunged into your gut."

"This is really a tough world now, isn't it?" Natalia realizes.

"It is," Okteiva nods. "When we first came down, the delinquents, we were a hundred strong. Now there's only about ten of us left. And the rest of the Ark? There's a lot less than what they first started off with."

They continue walking again, Steve and the others on guard after what Okteivia told them, and are surprised when they come into a small clearing and a tree house well up off the ground. Two short whistles sound from within the tree house, and Darsi returns with two of her own.

From the doorway of the tree house, another woman emerges- this one petite and face painted though her markings are different. Her brown hair is pulled back- half up, half down- and a flower crown adorns her head. She wears what appears to be a dark green and blue tunic with a green rope tied around her waist, leather shoulder pads that are being held with two buckles strapped across her collarbone, and a black leather skirt with thigh high boots. Where Darsi has blue and white paint, Jein bears black swiped across her eyes and a thick blue stripe from the middle of her forehead and down between her eyebrows.

" _Darsi?_ " The woman says, confused, and Thor sucks in a sharp breath at the sight of her.

"Beautiful," he breathes in awe just as Darsi says, " _Jein, disha ste ai lukot, Linkon. Emo gaf in yu sis au (_ _Jane, this is my friend, Lincoln. They need your help._ _)._ "

Jein looks to Linkon and blinks owlishly, her silence urging him to speak his peace. "Can you understand me like this?" He says, English clear. "It'd make this a whole lot easier."

" _Sha._ I mean- yes," Jein nods. "What's going on?"

"Commander Lexa is dead," Linkon informs her. "-and as one of the last two night bloods, we need you to take the flame."

" _Heda Leksa (Commander Lexa)? No,_ " Jein gasps. "She was a friend."

"Ours as well," Okteivia says. "But warriors don't mourn until the battle is won."

Jein's shock quickly transforms into indifference. "I am no warrior. I gave up that lifestyle long ago. Darsi fights for me now." All eyes turn to Darsi, the brunette grinning wickedly at them. "I'm sorry you've wasted your time."

"But-"

Whatever Okteivia had planned to say is interrupted, another man- clearly older if his white hair and wrinkles is anything to by- rushes in from between the trees. He's wearing a well-worn kilt, of all things, and his facial paint matches that of Jein's. " _Jein! Darsi! Trigedakru ste- (_ _Jane? Darcy! The tree people are-_ _)_ "

"Stop! Lower your weapons!" Jein yells when everyone takes aim. "This is Erik. He's family." Once everyone calms- everyone except Darsi who seems to be pacing with her bow in hand now- Jein turns back to Erik. "What's going on?"

"The tree people," he pants, easily switching languages as his gaze cautiously glances at all the new faces. "-they're headed this way."

"The sky people will make them stop and ask questions," Linkon says. "But if they're already chipped, they'll be rounding people up to ingest a key- a chip that gives the hostile AI access to your minds- or looking for the last of the night bloods to kill off since Ontari really wants to be Commander."

"Like hell they will," Jein grumbles. Glancing around at everyone, she nods to the tree house. "You all hide. I can persuade them to keep on their way or Darsi can dispatch them well enough on her own."

"There's too many for just her," Erik urges. "It's too dangerous, Jein."

"It's the only way. This way if Darsi and I don't make it, then Linkon can take you in. Hide, Erik. Keep the skaikru safe."

As Erik reluctantly agrees, Bucky and Thor suddenly seem uneasy, but the decision is taken out of their hands when Erik gently takes Natalia's hand in his own and urges her to follow. Jein smiles sadly at their retreat, and Steve's sighing and nudging Bucky along as Jein and Darsi turn towards the sound of where the possible threat is coming from.

"I don't like this, Stevie," Bucky grumbles as they head up the crudely made stairs to the tree house. "We should be helping them take out this threat- if it even is a threat."

"I hear 'ya, Buck, I do, but we're in way over our heads here. We came down to Earth to thrive, not fight for our lives."

"Quiet," Okteivia hisses. "They're here."

Everyone ducks inside, making sure to stay hidden in the shadows, but still keeping an eye out on the women outside. At least twelve grounders appear- a hunting party is what Linkon calls it- all of them appearing threatening with their weapons in hand. The bottom half of their faces are obscured with masks made of bone, their eyes marred with black paint or tattoos. And despite the grounders' towering presence, Jein and Darsi are perfectly calm.

The second they start speaking, Steve starts whispering. "What's going on?"

"They're looking for _Wanheda,_ " Okteivia tells him. "The Commander of Death."

"Why?"

"Because she- Clarke, our friend- has the flame that A.L.I.E 1 seeks," Okteivia admits.

"They're already chipped," Linkon realizes, tensing when he sees one of the grounders brandish a 'key' in front of Darsi's face. "This isn't going to end well."

And sure enough, Darsi knocks the hand holding the 'key' away from her face and immediately starts punching, kicking, and ducking. Jein tries to stumble back out of the way, but once targeted she reveals two deadly curved blades from the small of her back and jumps into the fray. The two women are a sight to behold, their limbs striking out and hitting their targets effortlessly. Though Jein and Darsi manage to seemingly kill one grounder each, the rest of them overwhelm the women easily enough and have them on their knees soon after. Erik whimpers, but not one to just sit back and let things go, Steve grumbles about going out there and helping. Natalia, Thor, and Bucky easily agree even as Okteivia and Linkon seem torn, but all of them sans Erik end up rushing out to help.

The fight is brutal and far more tiring than what the skaikru imagined. Thor, the tallest and more muscular of the skaikru ends up getting knocked on his ass towards the end, Jein and Darsi coming up behind his attacker and bringing the grounder to his knees. As Darsi dispatches him, Jein pants heavily and angrily, glancing around to make sure there's no imminent threat.

Seeing none, Jein offers Thor a hand up, grinning. " _Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim._ "

Thor chuckles, licking his split lip. "What was that?"

"Get smacked down, get back up," she laughs. Thor takes her dainty hand covered in blood, surprised at the strength she possesses, but still mostly picks himself up lest he pull her down.

Bucky and Steve are tag teaming a grounder that's Thor's size, Bucky putting a bullet between his eyes and stopping him once and for all. Most of the fighting sounds have quieted down, but there's still the obvious sound of grunting and flesh hitting flesh, and when they turn towards it's source they find Darsi kicking the back of one of the grounder's knees and sends him into a kneel. Then grasping his hair and pulling back so his throat is bare, Darsi slices clean across his throat and sends a spray of blood that coats one side of her face.

Everyone's tiredly panting and limping as they crowd towards Darsi, Bucky being the only one to be left staring in awe. "I'm gonna marry that girl," he breathes airily.

Darsi's attention snaps to him as several others snort in tired amusement, she then smirking as blood drips from her face. "Dream on, Sky boy."

Bucky gapes. "You- you speak English? You've understood us this entire time?!"

"Yes," she grins a toothy grin. "You are not the first space settlers to travel down here," she admits. "We learned."

The others laugh at Bucky's awestruck expression, he eventually smugly smiling and winking and causing Darsi to roll her eyes with an amused snort.

"If you understood us this entire time," Steve asks. "-then why pretend you didn't? I looked pretty stupid miming what I was trying to tell you back at our camp."

"Sorry," Darsi laughs. "But I learned that if you pretend to not understand your enemy or possible enemy, then they'll slip up around you and give up valuable information."

Natalia smiles approvingly. "You're smart." Darsi preens under the redhead's gaze and Bucky frowns.

"As much as I wanna see him," Jein gestures at Bucky. "-battle for Darsi's affection, I think we have more important matters at hand." Then glancing around at the destruction about them, Jein sighs sadly. "We're gonna have a lot of work ahead of us, aren't we?"

Okteivia perks up, she sporting a few new cuts to her face. "Does that mean you'll take the flame?"

"I'll take the flame," Jein nods. " _Jak op ai krom Fleimkappa (_ _Take me to the flame keeper_ _)_."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm not sure "Darsi" is the way you'd write "Darcy", but I tried my best. Also, the rest of these translations are pulled from the Trigedasleng Dictionary and a Trigedasleng translator I found, so I'm not sure how correct they are.**


	17. The Punisher

Darcy's having a good day, a spectacular day really, but apparently the Fates don't want her to have too much of a good thing. The Scientists Three had been tossing a scientific idea back and forth in their shared lab, their ramblings eventually becoming too much for Darcy to keep up with. And after her umpteenth sigh, Jane absentmindedly sent Darcy on her way to retrieve lunch.

So it's really just her luck that when she returns back to Stark Tower on a pleasantly full stomach, a bag of sandwiches in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other, she's immediately summoned to one of SI's conference rooms by Tony's AI.

" _Miss Lewis, Miss Potts is requesting your presence in Conference Room A._ "

"Aw, JAR, no," she whines. "I'm still riding the food tummy high. It's nap time, if Jane doesn't need me that is."

" _I apologize, Miss Lewis, but it appears urgent._ "

"Alright, fine," she huffs. "Take me to your leader." She watches as the button lit up for the floor of the labs changes to that of the floor of conference rooms, and sighs wistfully at the thought of her lost nap time. When the doors ding open, she wastes no time in heading straight for Conference Room A and comes to a short stop when she notices not only Pepper, but Tony and two official looking men in suits. "Um, this is Conference Room A, isn't it?"

Tony smirks at her. "Sure is, kid. Now step on in and explain to us why the FBI wants to question you."

Darcy snorts, but when the expressions of the two supposed FBI agents don't falter, her eyes widen behind her black framed glasses and she stumbles forward to place the items in her hands on the nearest table. "I, uh, I don't actually know why they want to speak with me," she admits, glancing between the mocha skinned agent and the Hispanic agent. "What exactly is going on?"

The Hispanic agent steps forward, his slicked hair giving him a douche-y vibe, but the kind smile easily contradicts that. "Miss Lewis, I'm agent Hernandez and my partner is agent Williams. We have some questions that we believe you can answer for us." His bald, mocha colored companion smiles as well, but he seems rather bored with the situation at hand.

"Oh, um, alright..?"

Pepper steps forward, hands clasped behind her back and oozing authority. "Is Miss Lewis in any sort of trouble? Because if so, she's an employee here at Stark Industries and since you sought her out on SI property, we need to know whether or not we need to get in contact with our lawyers."

"No trouble, only questions, I assure you," agent Hernandez says. "But if you'd like, Miss Lewis can have a friend sit in with her if she wishes it so or if she wants to keep these matters private, then she can do that as well."

Pepper looks to Darcy who shrugs in response, and then Darcy looks to Tony who looks a little too gleeful about what's going on. "Um, I'd like to know what this is about before I decide whether or not I want someone present with me."

Agent Williams clears his throat. "It's about one.. Frank Castle."

Pepper gasps, Tony tenses- his amusement vanishing- and Darcy pales. She shakily takes a seat in one of the rolling chairs and gulps. "Short stack?" Tony says. "What did you get yourself into?" Because, of course, everyone knew exactly who Frank Castle was after the mayhem he caused over the last several months.

"I want Natasha," she blurts. "I want Natasha to sit in with me."

For a brief moment there's complete silence, and then Pepper's gently clearing her throat and laying a hand on Darcy's shoulder. "JARVIS, can you please alert Miss Romanoff that her presence is requested in Conference Room A?"

" _Right away, Miss Potts._ "

In the time that it takes Natasha to get to the room, the agents takes a seat opposite of Darcy while pulling out their pens and little pads of paper. Tony tries to wheedle just exactly what information Darcy has on the one they call _the Punisher,_ but she keeps him at bay with promises to fill him in later.

Natasha shows up, dark-red hair perfectly framing her face in smooth waves and an easy going grin that she flashes at the two seated agents. "Alright, lady and gent," she says as she nods at Pepper and Tony. "I got this."

Pepper thanks Natasha for her time and Tony merely hums while picking up the lunch Darcy had brought with her. "Later, Lewis. We'll talk later." She hums as he and Pepper make their exit, she then slumping a little further down in her seat as the door closes behind two of her bosses.

As Natasha takes her seat, the agents shift in theirs and look at Darcy. "Okay, Miss Lewis," agent Hernandez gets started. "as we told you before-"

"No, no," Natasha says, cutting the man off as she settles in her seat and crosses one knee over the other. "Not yet." The two federal agents are astonished at her upfront attitude, even more so as she clasps her fingers over her abdomen and smirks a little too cocksure. "JARVIS, please activate privacy protocols for this room and don't lift them until my say so."

" _Privacy protocols activated, Miss Romanoff._ " There's an audible click at the doors, and the extensive floor to ceiling window that shows off a spectacular view of the city darkens just the slightest.

"Impressive," agent Williams notes.

"Yeah, well, this is Stark's building," Darcy mumbles. "Now shall we carry on?"

The two agents look at Natasha as if she's gonna prevent them from speaking again, but she merely cocks an eyebrow at them and they take that as their cue to go on.

"Okay, Miss Lewis," agent Hernandez starts again. "Have you seen your uncle within the last forty-eight hours?"

Face unreadable, Darcy shakes her head. "No."

Hernandez scribbles in his little notepad and Natasha remains indifferent with the tense atmosphere around her. At least, she seems indifferent up until Hernandez says, "And when was the last time you saw Mr. Castle?" Now she's sitting up just a little straighter and her eyes and ears are taking in every little detail.

Darcy sighs and mentally rolls her eyes as agent Williams leans a little over the table in front of him, eager to see what she has to say. "I haven't seen my uncle since he was in a coma with a bullet hole in his skull," she suddenly snaps.

"Are you sure?" agent Williams wheedles as Hernandez continues to scribble in his pad of paper. "Do you expect us to believe that Frank Castle- a man driven to insanity over his dead family- hasn't sought out his only living family member?"

"Do you honestly a believe a man such as Frank Castle- the man the world has dubbed the Punisher- would lead any of his enemies to his only living relative after all the _shit_ he's been put through?" She says instead, eyes narrowing. "I haven't seen my uncle," Darcy says vehemently. "Not since I was crying at his side in the hospital after I had to watch them bury my aunt, niece and nephew by myself."

"And just what _shit_ are you referring to?" agent Williams continues. "What do you know that we don't?" He presses.

"Pick up the New York Bulletin," she deadpans. "Karen Page seemed to have a lot of things to say about my uncle and the corruption within the local authorities and not so local."

Agent Hernandez seems to be grinning down at the table as he continues to write, but agent Williams doesn't find her so funny. Clenching his jaw enough so that his cheek ticks, agent Williams sits up a little straighter. "Miss Lewis-"

"That's enough," Natasha interrupts. Agent Hernandez sharply looks up as Natasha coolly rises to her feet, and agent Williams splutters. "Miss Lewis has said her peace and if this simple questioning is going to turn into an interrogation, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave while we get Miss Lewis some legal representation."

"That won't be necessary, Miss Romanoff." Agent Hernandez rises to his feet, pocketing his pad of paper and effectively shushing his partner with a single look when Williams huffs and opened his mouth to retort. "We apologize for being so.. pushy with you, Miss Lewis."

Darcy nods, but doesn't utter a single word in return and Natasha escorts the two federal agents from the room after lifting the privacy protocol. Still seated in her chair, Darcy stares at the floor rather morosely with her hands in her lap.

"What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours, _myshka_?"

Natasha comes into Darcy's line of vision then, crouching before her and grasping her hands within her own with a worried frown. Ever since Darcy and Jane had come to Stark Tower and then moved to Avengers Facility, the two women had been easily adopted into the fold. Jane was Thor's lady love and friend to all, but Darcy- Darcy became everyone's little sister when she indulged Clint and Bucky in their prank wars, kept Bruce (when he returned, that is) on a healthy schedule, introduced Natasha and Wanda to slumber parties and all the pampering activities they missed as children, and took no shit from anyone (especially Captain America and Iron Man himself).

Chin tucked close to her chest, Darcy's shoulders start to shake with suppressed sobs at Natasha's term of endearment. She's quickly yanked to her feet and enveloped in one of Natasha's rare comforting hugs. "He's- he's my family," she cries over Natasha's shoulder while clinging to the redhead's back. "My only living relative and I can't- I can't even speak to him without being charged for aiding and abetting him."

Darcy cries some more, letting her body go limp against Natasha's when the redhead clings to her tighter. "Why? Why would he do that knowing he's all I have left?"

"Grief can make the sanest man do such unspeakable things, _myshka._ Especially after witnessing his wife and children being gunned down." Hands smoothing up and down Darcy's back, Natasha continues. "I won't tell you to stay away from him because you live with people who do pretty much the exact same thing he does, only on a larger scale, but I will tell you to be careful with whatever you decide to do after today."

Darcy falls, once again, silent. Instead of answering, she merely tucks her face into the side of Natasha's neck and clings tighter for comfort.

* * *

After Darcy and Natasha had left Conference Room A, Darcy was under strict orders to take herself back to her apartment, shower, and change into comfy clothes. She did and dressed in striped socks, yoga pants, and a loose off-the-shoulder sweater, she then made her way to the Common Floor when JARVIS alerted her that Natasha was asking for her. And when she got there, she was crying a fresh new wave of tears when she was met with everyone and a majority of her favorite snacks in the lounge area.

Apparently, Tony had been a little tense and on edge, and Bruce took notice which then led to Tony spilling the beans about Darcy being questioned about Frank Castle while Jane was in the same lab. Clint, who had been in the air vents, overheard and opened his mouth to Barnes who then in turn told Steve and led everyone to the labs to see just what the hell was going on. So with everyone gathered and the privacy protocols being brought down, Tony wasted no time in bringing up the video feed to the conference room.

They caught the tail end of Darcy's breakdown, their hearts breaking for their sobbing friend and her grief over her last living relative. Natasha had immediately found the group after leaving Darcy, she then ordering everyone to take the rest of the day off because they were going to be there for their friend while getting the rest of her story and just who Frank Castle really was to her.

Darcy then told them of the man who she found clearly intimidating when her aunt Maria first brought him around, and how his looks completely went against his personality once you started talking to him. She told them of the man who turned into a complete puppy when his first child- Frank JR.- was born and then how he turned into a complete sap when little Lisa came next.

The Marine who threatened Darcy's first serious boyfriend brought a smile to everyone's face, as well as the man who drove all the way out to Darcy's college to inform her of the unfortunate circumstances in which her parents had died in person rather than over the phone. They smiled at the fact that it was Frank's idea to take Darcy in even though she was well above age to make her own decisions after her parents' funeral, and that Darcy took the time to send care packages to her uncle and his friends when he was overseas.

They laughed and then they soothed Darcy as she cried over the gruesome acts her uncle committed in the name of justice for his family, and then they watched their favorite Disney movies to keep the atmosphere light and cheerful.

But then as the days passed, Darcy found that she couldn't keep her uncle off her mind. She knows that she shouldn't miss a man who's done such unspeakable things.. but he's family. Her only living family.

 **xXx**

"Get it together, Lewis," she grumbles, tossing in her sleep one night. The Scientists Three- technically two since Jane was off world with Thor- had decided to call it an early night, giving Darcy an early night as well. Looking to her right, she finds that it's still before midnight. She sighs. "You better not get yourself kidnapped."

Crawling out of bed, Darcy starts pawing through her closet for an outfit suitable for leaving the tower. She pulls out a gray t-shirt with a skull and flowers imprinted on it, gray skinny jeans, a dark brown leather jacket, and brown zip-up heeled boots. She runs her fingers through her hair, leaving her flowing tresses free of any ties so that her face is framed and somewhat indistinguishable. Then taking the elevator down to the lobby and making her exit seem casual and not at all suspicious at this late hour, she walks a couple blocks down before waving down a cab and taking it to Central Park. And all the while, unbeknownst to her, two pairs of eyes trail her get away.

When she gets to the park, she pays the driver and waves off his his kind words of worry. She starts walking as soon as the cab pulls away, hands tucked deep in her pockets and her head tilted down. The further she gets into the park, the more she regrets leaving the tower in the first place and forgetting to bring along her taser. But the reason for her spontaneous trip soon looms into view, and she forgets about any and all dangers that lurk in the dark.

Hands freeing themselves from the confines of her pockets, Darcy takes a seat on the bench that's facing the darkened carousel. Seeing it brings back so many memories of her niece and nephew and weekend trips to the park, and it just breaks her heart to know they'll never ride the horses again. She was supposed to have been there with them their last day on Earth, but a last minute Science!breakthrough had her canceling at the last second.

Not paying to how much time has passed, Darcy is startled from her memories when the bench creaks under the added weight of another person. She glances to her left quickly, and then does a double-take at the familiar man sitting next to her. His profile is one she hasn't seen in a while, his dark clothing and battered features only adding to his intimidating aura.

"U-uncle Frank?"

He finally turns to her, dark eyes crinkling at the corners a moment later. "Hello, Darcy-Lou."

At the sound of his rough voice, Darcy's eyes sting with tears and her throat tightens with suppressed emotion. But as quickly as sadness envelops her, so does anger. She quickly jumps to her feet, stumbling a few steps away from him. "What are- what are you doing here?"

"I usually come here when the cops aren't patrolling anywhere close." He slowly stands, holding his hands out at his sides to show her he means no harm when she startles at his movement.

"D-don't. Just.. stop."

"Darcy-"

"I'm serious, uncle Frank," Darcy cries, her bottom lip trembling as she tries to keep it all bottled in. "You don't get to play the relieved uncle or whatever bull you're pulling now. I understood you not being there at the funerals, but after? _I needed you_ ," she yells and rushes forward, slapping both hands on Frank's chest and pushing. "-and where were you? I needed my family and you were too worried about your little revenge kick!"

Frank's jaw ticks. "I had to. They were-"

"They were involved, I know," Darcy snaps. "And I get it, I do, but everyone that came after that? That was total overkill." She pushes him at again, stepping forward as Frank steps back, he letting her cry and pummel his chest with slaps and punches. "I. Needed. You!"

Eyes still blazing, Darcy's voice cracks and she stops hitting her uncle, groaning out her frustration instead of screaming it. Her shoulders eventually slump as the fight drains out of her, and Frank takes that chance to close the distance between them to wrap her in a hug. She tries to push against him, crying out, but the comfort of her uncle is just too much and Darcy slumps against him.

"I needed you, uncle Frank, and you weren't there."

"I know.. I know," he mumbles, wrapping his arms tighter around her, but allowing Darcy's arms to wrap around his waist. Face tucked into his chest, Darcy continues to cry. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

They stand there for several long minutes in the same embrace, eventually pulling apart only for Darcy to hesitantly brush her fingers along his bruised face and the visible cuts. She frowns at them, but he manages a quick little grin while brushing her hair behind her ears.

"You done?" He asks.

Darcy rolls her eyes, but finally manages a smile. "Missed you."

"I gathered. What are you doing out so late?"

"Couldn't sleep," she shrugs. "You've been on my mind since the FBI questioned me the other week."

Frank tenses. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. They actually thought I was hiding you where I live." Frank snorts and Darcy giggles. "There's cameras literally everywhere in the building I live in, and when they were riding the elevator down, they talked about how it was plausible I could be hiding you in the building since it was big enough and the security is pretty legit."

"It is Stark's building."

Frank actually startles, the person saying that having snuck up on them. When he turns around, however, he immediately has a glock in hand and aimed in the face of one James Buchanan Barnes.

"Keep on walking, buddy," Frank states lowly. "This doesn't concern you."

Decked out in a zipped-up black leather jacket, fitted jeans, boots, and his hair slicked back, Bucky merely stares on unconcerned. "You wanna get that out of my face?"

Frank's aim doesn't waver and after having Bucky stare down the barrel of the gun, Darcy's finally had enough. "Jesus, Frank," she swears. "Put that thing away." She grasps his wrist of the hand that's gripping the glock, pushing his hand down and stepping in front of him so her back is to his front.

"Do you know who this is, Darcy-Lou?!"

"Of course, I do," she hisses back, glancing over her shoulder and up at her uncle's face. "Not even being groomed can make Barnes unrecognizable. That perfect jawline is a dead giveaway."

"Thanks, Darce," Bucky smirks.

"And you!" She whirls on Bucky next. "What are you doing here?"

"You left home in the middle of the night," he shrugs. "I followed to make sure you were okay."

"And I came," Natasha says as she slinks into view from the shadows, hands behind her back. "-because Bucky texted and said Mr. Castle was here. You know the city's not safe at night, _myshka_. What were you thinking?"

"That I needed some air," Darcy deadpans. "And seriously? You came because my uncle was here? You know he won't hurt me."

"We know." Natasha's lip twitches in amusement. "We actually came bearing gifts for your uncle."

Bucky clears his throat, gaining Frank's attention after the man's little stare down with Natasha. "We recently learned about the relation between you and Darce," he admits. "Obviously, we know about your Punisher gig and how Darcy kind of hates it, but we also know you're her only family and she loves you very much." Frank shifts from foot to foot, nudging Darcy in the back when she groans and mutters something about embarrassing idiots. "So we're here to offer you a choice.

"Either take this," Bucky says as he presents a box from his back and urges Frank to take it.

"Or take this," Natasha says and produces a decently thick manila folder from behind her own back.

"And if I refuse?" Frank grumbles.

"You won't." Natasha flashes Frank a small smile. "Not if you want to be a free man."

Darcy gasps and steps aside so she's not blocking her uncle, and Bucky jiggles the box. "Take mine first."

Hesitantly, Frank takes the black box once Darcy tells him it's okay. He flips the top lid open and frowns down at what he sees. "How is this supposed to make me a free man?"

"It's a photostatic veil," Bucky tells him. "We've already pre-programmed a face on it for you. All you do is stick the small round contact behind you ear and place the shimmery sheet on your face. It'll conform and you'll be a brand new person. You'll be able to walk in the daylight and hang out with your niece without someone calling 911."

"Just don't get too close to extreme heated temperatures," Darcy says. "These veils will melt to your face if you're not careful."

"Well, that's comforting," Frank deadpans, but nods at Bucky in thanks nonetheless. Closing the lid, it's Natasha's turn to show her hand.

"The veil can work wonders, but it'll only get you so far. If you really want a clean slate, SHIELD's willing to take you on."

"W-what?" Darcy gapes.

"The new and improved SHIELD has been keeping their eyes on any and all possible assets. With your skill set, you're just what SHIELD needs."

"They're really going to hire a killer?" Frank asks, disbelief coloring his tone as he eyes the folder in the redhead's hands.

Natasha shrugs. "We're all killers. SHIELD has a small selection of agents and mercs within their ranks already, but they need to get their numbers up."

Still, Frank looks like he doesn't believe them. "This agency does know I'm a wanted man, yeah? How do they expect to work around that?"

"SHIELD is willing to work with you to clear your name as best as they can," Natasha informs him. "Apparently, one Miss Karen Page that writes for the New York Bulletin stuck her nose in all the right places and found so much corruption within the Castle case that we can work with you. You'll most likely have a partner with you for a year as part of a probation of sorts, but afterwards.. you'll be a free agent doing the job you're already doing and getting paid for it."

Frank looks to Darcy, watching as his niece's eyes fill with tears. Only this time, she smiling at the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow before her hopeful gaze turns to him. "Well? What do you think?" He asks her opinion.

"I think you'd be an idiot to turn them down," she laughs. "Seriously, uncle Frank, what's a year probation compared to life in prison where you'll be killed when or if you're eventually caught? We might not be able to hang out all the time if you work for SHIELD, but we will get to publicly hang out without the police coming down on you."

"I stopped taking orders long ago," Frank sighs. "-but if this will get me out of the shit holes I've been holding up in or actual food on the table, who am I to turn it down?"

Darcy squeals and throws herself at her uncle, laughing in joy. "You won't regret it, seriously. Just stay away from Clint and Barnes when in the gun range. They're heavily into competitive shooting and you don't want to lose against either one of them."

Frank smiles into her hair. "What makes you think I'd lose?"

Scoffing, Darcy pulls back and one hand left on his bicep, she uses the other to gently pat his cheek. "Aw, Frank, I adore you, but Barnes is the greatest shot in history. There's no way you'll beat him if the second greatest marksman can't even beat him."

Staring up over his niece's head, Frank catches Bucky smirking at the two of them. "I look forward to meeting you in the gun range, Sergeant Barnes."

"Likewise, Mr. Castle."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm complete shit with translations, but I found a translation website (of sorts) that gave me Darcy's nickname (myshka - little mouse). So if it's wrong, I apologize.**


	18. Twilight

Darcy's bobbing along to the latest 'Sia' hit blaring from one earbud tucked in ear, her mood light and happy. Nothing can bring her vibe down, not even the fact that Tony's playing hide-n-seek with her to keep from signing any legal documents.

"JARVIS, buddy, where's He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?"

" _I believe he's on the Common Floor, Miss Darcy_."

"Nice. Thanks, J-Man!"

" _My pleasure, Miss_."

Darcy laughs and tucks the other earbud in her ear, hoping no one stops her on her mission to track down Tony. He had gotten smart after the first two times she nearly caught him, he telling JARVIS to keep his location from her when she asked where he was. But Darcy being Darcy, she found the loophole and realized she couldn't find Tony when she asked for him by name, so instead she chose _He Who Must Not Be Named_ as a replacement and JARVIS found he could work around Sir's request.

The second Darcy made it to the elevator and pressed the button for her desired floor, she turned off her iPod and wrapped the cord around it's body before tucking it away safely in her pocket. She marched off the elevator when it stopped and dinged open, and found Tony with Steve and Clint crowded around the kitchen island bar, he trying to bolt the second he lays eyes on her.

"Stop him!" Darcy yells, pointing at Tony and watches on gleefully as Steve sticks a foot out to trip him. Cackling, Darcy stumbles up to Tony's fallen and pouting form, she offering him a hand up. "Suck it up, Tin Man. You've lost."

"JARVIS, you traitor!" He whines. "And you, too, Capsicle. I'm appalled."

Steve snorts. "Be a grownup for about five seconds and do your damn work."

Clint guffaws and Tony pouts harder, he taking Darcy's hand and sighing. "Whatever. What do I need to do?"

"Signatures on a few things and your thumb impression on three." Darcy lightly tosses a Stark tablet atop the island counter top, along with a beige folder of paperwork, and Tony sets to work. "Complain all you want, Tones, but you won't get all those fancy little gadgets you requested unless you put your name where they need it."

"You're rather.. chipper," Clint notices as Tony grumbles some more and Darcy continues to grin. "Whose day did you just ruin?"

Darcy huffs a laugh. "No one. I'm just happy to officially be on vacation as soon as I hand in this paperwork back to Pepper."

"Vacation?" Steve perks up. "Of all the years I've known you, I've never seen you take an extended period of time off unless it was for medical purposes."

"Yeah, but with Jane off-world and readying Asgard for her reign as Queen by Thor's side, I've got plenty of time to do with as I please."

"Yeah? Is Cancun still the hot spot for all you lusty singles?" Tony cracks, waggling his eyebrows as he prints him thumb impression on the last page.

"Don't know, don't care," she snorts. "I'm actually headed over to La Push, Washington. I have some family who live on the Reservation over there that are descendants from the Quileute Tribe."

"Really? Then does that make you a descendant as well?" Steve asks, actually intrigued to learn something new about his friend.

"Yeah. My mother was Elizabeth Clearwater. She fell in love with a tourist right out of high school and got married. I took after my dad, obviously," Darcy grins before explaining the Quileute golden skin color and how everyone poked fun at her because she came out so pale. "I was actually looked down upon by some of other descendants because of my skin tone. Then I moved out of La Push with my dad when my mother passed."

Steve frowns. "Why were you looked down upon?"

"Because I didn't look like them," she shrugs. "They're really strict about who hears the local legends about the Quileute's and I apparently didn't look the part enough for them. But anyway, I just really wanna go back there to see my cousins. I have some great memories of sitting around the bon fire on First Beach as the Elders of the Tribe told our supposed family history. It's all really.. _mythical_ and what not, so it made for great bedtime stories."

"Mythical how?" Clint asks.

Darcy opens her mouth to say so, but clicks it shut a second later. "I'm not.. actually permitted to say," she frowns. But after thinking on it for a few more minutes, she shrugs. "Oh well, it's not like you're going to go blabbing it around. But anyway, the Quileute's are supposedly descendants of shapeshifters who kept the reservation protected from the Cold Ones."

"Cold Ones?"

"Their version of vampires," Darcy tells Clint. "But it's all legend and myth, a great tale to tell over the dancing flames of a fire with the noise of the ocean at your back."

"I don't know, Darce," Steve starts to slowly grin. "All local legends hold some truth to it. If aliens and super soldiers from the past can exist, why not shapeshifters and vampires?"

"You hold your tongue, Steven Grant!" Darcy whirls on Steve, pointer finger in his face as her eyes narrow on him. "We have enough shit to deal with, lets not add shape shifting werewolves and vampires to the mix, yeah?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She rolls her eyes at his teasing little smirk, glares at Clint who's snickering at his teammate's side, and scoops up the paperwork and tablet from Tony that he's holding out to her proudly. "Don't miss me too much, guys," she tells them as she turns on her heel and makes her way back towards the elevator. "And remember to feed yourselves!" She then yells over her shoulder.

Tucked away back in the elevator, Darcy sighs a breath of relief as she leans against the back wall. It's been a while since she's seen the Clearwater side of her family, and she's really ecstatic to see how grown Leah and Seth have become.

* * *

Darcy lands in Port Angeles the following day, the sun already sinking. She dreads taking a cab all the way to her aunt Sue's home in La Push, and startles when she finds a man holding a sign with her name written on it in bold, black letters by the baggage claim.

"Uh, I'm she," she tells the elder man, pointing at the sign. "Are you my driver or something?"

"No," the man smiles gently. "I'm merely here to deliver these to you." From his pocket, the man pulls out a set of keys. "The car is waiting for you in the parking lot. Mr. Stark sends his best wishes."

Taking the keys from him, Darcy gapes as the man make his exit without another word. She finally huffs a laugh, shaking her head at Tony Stark's niceties and claims her suitcases from the baggage carousel. A messenger bag hangs from her shoulder and Darcy readjusts the strap before heading out and searching for her mode of transportation.

The charcoal gray BMW is one smooth ride, and Darcy can't help but sink against the seat as she syncs her phone to the radio console and drives for La Push to a mix of her favorite tunes.

She stops off in Forks to pick up a few necessities and snacks since the Reservation doesn't have the greatest selection- at least, not that she remembers- and picks up a few clearance clothing items that seem will be perfect for the Washington weather.

By the time she pulls up to the Clearwater residence, night has fallen. The front yard is lit by the single porch light and the driveway by several solar ground lamps. There's a lone figure sitting on the porch steps and when Darcy cuts the engine and opens the door to climb out, the person stands to their full height and bounds towards her with a cheerful laugh.

"Holy shit! Who are you and what the hell have you done to my baby cousin?"

Seth Clearwater laughs as he scoops her up in a hug, her feet leaving the ground as he swings her once in a complete circle. "There's my favorite pale face. Long time no see, Darcy-Lou."

"Back at you, Sethie-Poo. Now where's my favorite pain in the ass hiding at? I figured Lee-Lee would be out here to greet me, too."

"Never call me that again."

Steadying herself on her own two feet, Darcy glances behind Seth just in time to see Leah slink in from the shadows. Even in the dark it's hard to miss their golden complexion, and Darcy smiles at the familiarity of it all. "There's that beautiful resting bitch face I've come to adore via social media. Nice haircut. I'm digging the shorter look."

Seth guffaws as Leah crosses her arms over her chest with a sigh, though she does crack a small smile before schooling her features once more. "Hurry up and come inside. Mom's been waiting for forever to see you."

"Yeah," Seth pipes up. "In all her excitement, she forgot about dinner so we're going to Forks for some burgers."

"Ugh. Driving," Darcy frowns. "Whoever grabs my bags and runs them inside gets to drive my car." Seth's the only one to make a mad dash for the back seat, throwing open the door and slinging Darcy's messenger bag over his head before grasping the two suit cases by their handle to run them inside. Leah follows her brother with her gaze up until he disappears inside their house, she then turning back to Darcy and cocking an eyebrow at her. "What?" She feigns innocence. "It's not like he doesn't have the muscles for it."

Leah deadpans, "He's a terrible driver."

"It's a rental." Darcy shrugs and then frowns thoughtfully. "I hope."

Leah snorts and then gestures towards her house, leading Darcy up the driveway and up the rickety steps into her home. Sue squeals when she spots Darcy, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. "It's good to have you home, Darcy Elizabeth."

"It's good to be back, aunt Sue."

* * *

Her first night back in La Push actually goes pretty well, especially after Seth's terrible driving and Sue yelling at him from the backseat that he was not driving on their way home. Darcy had laughed so hard that tears ran down her face, and Leah smiled so much that her cheeks ached from the pain of it all.

Darcy was then reintroduced to the waiters and cooks that had apparently still worked there from her childhood, and told her family some her craziest shenanigans of being an assistant to an astrophysicist. However, their night had hit a bit of a bump when a couple of extremely attractive people were passing by as the Clearwater family was making their way back to the car. They could give Darcy a run for her money on who was the palest, but she was more interested in the way Seth clearly bounded up for a hug with the guy he called _Emmett_ and timidly greeted the woman he called _Rosalie._ Leah, though, was the complete opposite of her brother and sneered at the newcomers before opening the passenger side door of the car and plopping herself inside. Seth had then taken the chance to introduce them to his cool older cousin Darcy and while she smiled politely and waved, she couldn't help but shiver when she caught sight of their golden eyes.

When Sue realized her niece was starting to look uneasy, she had managed to wrangle Seth back towards their car, she taking the driver seat after shoving him into the back seat with Darcy while waving goodbye to the Cullen's.

Falling asleep had been fairly easy, but then waking up the following morning- late, might I add- had required the threat of cold water being poured on her.

"I'm up, I'm up," Darcy mumbles, snorting herself awake.

Leah chuckles and kicks the side of the mattress once more. "Hurry up and change. We've got a lot of people to see before Seth and I take you to the cliffs."

"The cliffs?" And yeah, she's more awake now. "That place is still the hot spot, huh?"

"Yep. And you're jumping today so pack a suit."

Groaning, Darcy flops and her back and curses her luck. Then another minute and threat later, Darcy's heaving herself out of bed and into the bathroom. She showers and shaves as quickly as she can, wraps a towel around her hair and another around her body before scurrying back into the guestroom where her clothes are still in suitcases. Then pulling out appropriate undergarments and sliding them on, Darcy pulls on a pair of stretch denim jeans, a 3/4 sleeve baseball tee with floral print on the sleeves, and tugs on a pair of mid-calf dark brown boots. Her damp hair is left to air dry after a quick brush through, and after emptying out her messenger bag of unnecessary items, Darcy tosses in a pair of black denim shorts, a dark blue and gray plaid button-up, and a black halter crochet one-piece swimsuit.

"Will you hurry up?" Leah complains, appearing in the doorway, a frown on her face.

"I'm done!" Darcy yelps and slings her bag's strap over her head. "Jeez, tone it down a bit."

"Whatever. Mom already left for Charlie's, so we'll meet her there later. She wants you to see everyone else before we get there."

Nose wrinkling, Darcy sighs. "Define everyone."

" _Everyone._ Trust me, I don't like it either, but word travels fast around here. Emily wants to see you as well as Billy Black."

"And are you.. okay with that?" She asks. "Seeing Emily, I mean. I know you and her-"

"It's fine," Leah quickly waves it off. "We're good now, so just hurry up."

"Alright."

 **xXx**

Darcy ends up driving, but after Leah's constant _turn here_ and _no, not here!_ Darcy stops the car and makes them trade places. All the while, Seth's cackling in the backseat and texting on his phone.

Emily's the first on their list of people to visit, she being their other cousin and that little reunion only last a handful of minutes before Darcy can't stand the forced friendly atmosphere between Emily and Leah, and declares that they have to get going. Luckily for her, Sam hadn't been present and for that she thanks her lucky stars.

The Cameron's and Lahote family are visited back to back, and if possible, adult Jared and Paul are more annoying than they were as children.

Billy Black is as kind as she remembers, although she is surprised to see that he's been confined to a wheelchair. She's also surprised to find out that little Jacob Black is now a married man, and her brow furrows when she sees Seth and Leah subtly flinch at Jacob's name. They then end up spending the most time with Billy, only getting a move on when Sue calls Seth to see where they're at and to tell them that lunch was nearly done. They say their goodbyes to Billy and Darcy promises to visit again before she heads back to New York.

At the Swan residence, Darcy doesn't notice the extra car sitting in the driveway, but Leah does. She grumbles something about the Cullen's that Darcy doesn't quite catch, but ignores it in favor of getting out of the car and chuckling when her aunt Sue and Charlie greet them out in the front yard.

"If it isn't little Darcy Elizabeth," Charlie smiles. "You've grown, kid."

Shaking her head in amusement, Darcy greets the man with a quick hug. "Charlie," she grins. "I don't think you've aged a day since I've last seen you. Are you secretly a vampire?" She then teases.

Charlie tenses, Leah snorts, and Darcy finds herself being lightly pushed back only to have Charlie stare at her quizzically. "I-I, what? No! Who have you been talking to?"

She blinks owlishly at him, startled by the seriousness of his answer, and aunt Sue breaks the awkward silence by clearing her throat. "And on that funny note, now's the time to tell you all that we have guests besides Darcy joining us. Bella's in-laws have stopped by."

Leah heavily sighs, but Seth perks up and happily rushes into the house to greet their guests. Awkward tension now dissipated, Charlie slings an arm around Darcy's shoulders and ushers her inside.

 **xXx**

Lunch had gone remarkably well given the fact that Carlisle and Esme Cullen made something in Darcy.. twitchy. She pasted on a smile and made pleasant talk with their guests since they were Charlie's daughter's in-laws, and spoke of the shenanigans she and her friend Clint got into in the air vents at their place of work.

When time seemed to drag on, Leah hastily stood and demanded Darcy change into her swimsuit. Charlie then directed her to the bathroom after hearing of their plans to officially initiate Darcy by cliff-jumping, and Darcy wasted no time in doing so. When she came down with her shorts pulled up over the bottom of her swimsuit and her plaid shirt left unbutton to show off said swimsuit underneath, Sue sent them off with words of being careful, and Darcy bid everyone a happy farewell even if the Cullens' golden stare sent a shiver down her spine.

At the cliffs, Darcy's nerves kick in. There are other locals shrieking as they jump from the halfway mark up the cliff, but Leah and Seth laugh and push Darcy further up the trail until they reach the top.

"You're joking, right? You guys don't actually jump from way up here."

"We do," Leah tells her. "And you will be, too. Want me to go first?"

Darcy scoffs and turns to face away from the intimidating fall into the ocean, and catches her cousin kicking off her shoes and sliding her shorts down her legs so she's left in a tank top and swimsuit boy shorts. Darcy doesn't say a word, but she does squawk as Leah suddenly smirks before backing up and taking off in a sprint only to let gravity do it's work as soon as her feet leave the edge of the cliff.

Leah whoops as she rushes feet first into the freezing ocean and Darcy gapes before whirling on her youngest cousin. "She's a psycho!"

"We all are. Now come on, Darcy-Lou, it's your turn."

Taking a few deep breaths, Darcy steels her quivering insides and peels out of her plaid shirt. "I-I'm only gonna do this once, so I'll need video proof of my bravery." She slips her phone from her back pocket, handing it to Seth and telling him to record her.

Doing as told, Seth soon has the phone recording and gives Darcy a thumbs up from his spot near the edge of the cliff. "Okay," Darcy sighs, clapping her hands together and rubbing them before shaking her arms out. She glances at her phone in Seth's hands, offering it a lopsided grin. "Looks like my idiot friends back home aren't the only reckless ones." As she gestures to the ocean with a nod of her head, Seth turns around to capture the ocean as well as the steep drop from where he's standing. Then turning back to Darcy, he laughs. "Well, here goes nothing."

Darcy takes off at a run, clenching her teeth and then shrieking her head off as soon as her feet leave solid ground. She tries to keep her legs clamped together and her hands stuck to her thighs to keep her body as straight as she can for when she enters the water, but her fear spikes and her limbs end up flailing before she hits the water. And when she does, all the air whooshes from her lungs and she gives her body a moment to relax in the murky water before kicking for the surface.

When her head finally breaks the surface, she finds Leah laughing.. actually _laughing_ without an ounce of anger etched at all in her features. "There you go, Darcy-Lou, you're officially one of us."

"I-I h-hate you," Darcy says, teeth chattering. "Get m-me o-out of this d-damn w-water, Lee-Lee."

* * *

After a couple of hours of swimming in the ocean and another jump from the top of the cliffs thanks to Seth's nudging, the three cousins had dried off on the beach and were joined by other locals as they started a bon fire. Darcy was introduced to people she'd never met before and others who she barely remembered, all while some guys grilled up some grub and passed it around to those lingering about.

They poured into the Clearwater home a little before midnight, and Darcy didn't wake well into the afternoon the following day.

Groggy and body more than a little achy, Darcy shuffles into the kitchen while pushing hair out of her face. "Why didn't anybody wake me?" She mumbles.

Sue startles at the kitchen sink, frowning as she steps up to her niece. "Leah went to wake you, but she said you.. looked sick."

"I feel fine," Darcy says, eyes barely open, and Sue tuts at her when the back of her fingers come into contact with Darcy's forehead.

"Mhm. Then explain why you're burning up?"

"M'not." Darcy swats Sue's hand away, but groans at the action.

"That's what I thought. Get your butt back in bed, Darcy Elizabeth. I'll make you some soup."

Darcy sighs, but doesn't speak a word and turns around to head back towards her temporary room. She doesn't know how long she sleeps for, but the next time she wakes up it's to find her aunt Sue settling a tray on the bedside table.

"How are you feeling?"

Darcy groans as she stretches. "Worse. I haven't been sick in years and the second I'm on vacation, _bam!_ , I'm knocked on my ass."

Sue chuckles, but as she reaches to feel Darcy's face for fever, she frowns. "You're running hotter."

"I feel hot," Darcy retorts, sighing as she kicks off the blankets. "And miserable. Just leave me here to die, aunt Sue. It was nice knowing you."

Frown ticking up into a grin, Sue chuckles. "Eat your soup and keep hydrated. I'll keep the others away from you and check on you later." She brushes a quick kiss to Darcy's forehead before taking her leave, she smiling softly as she watches her niece struggle to sit up and eat her steaming lunch.

* * *

For three days, Darcy struggles to keep herself from whimpering, her fever having skyrocketed to unbelievable temps that had aunt Sue looking quite worried and ready to shove Darcy into the car and take her to the hospital. However, it was her easily agitated state that really caught Seth and Leah's attention one day while their mom had gone out to run a few errands.

Darcy had managed to drag herself out of her room towards the evening on the third day of her sickness, a tank top and the smallest pair of cotton shorts she owned clinging to her sweat slicked skin in the cool home. Seth's friend Quil had stopped on by to catch up with his friend; Leah and Darcy lounging on the sofa while the boys sat on the floor.

Darcy kept shifting as if she wasn't comfortable, flinching whenever the boys laughed a little too loudly and scowled when the boys wouldn't shut up when Darcy asked them to nicely. One thing soon led to another and Darcy found herself stumbling into the kitchen for a cold glass of water. Quil had followed soon after, a constant flow of words dribbling from his mouth.

"Quil, stop.. talking," she tells him again, rubbing at her temples.

Thinking she's joking with him, Quil laughs and continues moving his mouth. Her agitation spiking, Darcy practically growls and acts without a thought. Her hand fists in his shirt at the center of his chest and she pushes him up against the nearest wall with all her might. She doesn't think nothing of it, but Quil's eyes widen in great surprise, and Seth and Leah rush into the room.

"Just shut up!" Darcy yells. "Stop talking for like, five minutes. Just.. stop."

She quickly lets him go and marches back into the living room, leaving her cousins to stare at Quil as he slowly steps away from the now cracked wall. "Did she just-"

"Crap," Leah sighs. "Seth go get me some clothes and a blanket. Quil, just keep your mouth shut for now."

Turning on her heel, Leah rushes into the living room and grabs a heavily panting Darcy by the shoulders to steer her through the house and out the back door. "Come on, Darcy-Lou, just breathe through it. Everything's going to be okay."

Darcy keens and doesn't fight against her cousin's hold, she stumbling out the back screen door and stumbling into the back yard. She can feel her body heat rising to the hottest it's been yet and groans. "I'm sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to snap at him, but-"

"But you're hot, you're angry and you have no idea why."

"Yes!" Darcy grits out through clenched teeth. "What's- what's wrong with me?"

"You're phasing."

"Phasing?" She pants, coming to a stop now that Leah's pushed a good distance from the house. "What- what is that?" She wipes at the sweat dripping from her forehead and whimpers. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm sorry," Leah then tells her. "It's rare for the females to phase, but it looks like I'm not the only one anymore."

Darcy doubles over in pain, falling to her knees and digging her fingers into the Earth beneath her. "Just- just tell me what's going on. Please."

Leah cringes as she watches her cousin cry in pain, but the telltale sign of her body vibrating has her taking a few steps back. "The legends of the Quiluete are all true, Darcy. Don't fight the shift."

Head snapping up, Darcy finds Leah staring at her sadly before she notices that her skin feels too tight. But then there's an odd sensation of overwhelming anger, of this crawling sensation beneath her skin, and then she's just.. exploding.

One second she's staring up at Leah, and the next she's staring _down_ at Leah. Her cousin takes a step back from her, her hands held out in front of her. "Darcy, you need to calm down. Breathe, Darcy. Just breathe."

Darcy tries to answer back, but all that comes out of her mouth is a fierce growl. Startled at the odd sound coming from her mouth, Darcy glances down at herself and instead of finding her hands, she finds two large paws covered in golden brown fur. She yelps and scrambles back, and when looks up she finds Leah literally exploding from her clothes and skin.

Before Darcy now stands a nearly white wolf, her back a little darker gray and brown, and golden brown ears lying flat against her head. _'Darcy. You need to calm down. Breathe'_

 _'What?! How are you- how are we talking right now?'_

 _'It's supposed to be a Pack thing,'_ Leah mentally tells her, whining and lowering her body to the ground so Darcy stops her own whimpering and calms down. _'But since there are two alphas in La Push, you're not part of a Pack until someone claims you.'_

 _'P-pack? Who's are you a part of? I don't want to be claimed!'_

 _'I'm sorry. But please, Darcy, calm down. Quil most likely ran back to Sam and we'll have an alpha on our doorstep soon enough. We need to get you inside, but to change back you need to be calm.'_

To prove her point, Leah slowly stands on all fours. And right before Darcy's eyes, Leah's wolf form shrinks until her golden-tan skinned cousin is left in a naked crouch.

Seth practically takes out the screen door in his haste to get outside, Darcy scrambling back at her youngest cousin's enthusiasm as he rushes up to her. He tosses clothes at Leah and averts his gaze, he then looking up at Darcy with a sheepish expression and a large blanket. "Welcome to our World," he smiles. "Now hurry up and shrink so we can get you inside."

Darcy continues to whimper, her ears falling flat against her head as she completely lowers herself to the ground. Her chin rests on her front two paws, and her gaze ping-pongs between her two expectant cousins. Seeing that they're not freaking out does wonders to make Darcy actually take a deep breath- okay, five- and calm her mind long enough to picture her body shrinking back into human form.

She hadn't noticed it when she exploded out of her skin, but she does notice the change back into her human body and how her vision goes a little fuzzy around the edges. One second she's laying comfortably on the ground, and the next she can feel the prickly sensation of grass on her bare chest and soft belly.

"Whoa, Darce's butt," Seth mumbles before dropping the blanket on his naked cousin.

Leah snorts, but she quickly schools her features when she sees the terrified expression on Darcy's face and the tear tracks running down her cheeks. "It's going to be okay," she tells her when Darcy meets her gaze. "Let's go inside and we'll explain everything."

 **xXx**

Inside, Leah takes Darcy to her room so she can get dressed while explaining that every tale they heard from the Elders around the bon fires as children are true. Darcy also learns the real truth behind Sam and Leah's split, and feels for her cousin because there was just no getting away from him when she needed the space the most, and she learns that Seth and Leah are actually lone wolves now since they left their first alpha (Sam) to join their chosen alpha (Jacob), but then Jacob got married to a half vampire and abandoned his pack.

Darcy's clued in that females aren't supposed to phase- that she and Leah are oddities- but that they lucked out because females don't imprint like the males do. And when she questions just what the hell triggered her transformation so late in age, Leah admits that the proximity of Cold Ones trigger it and that she- Darcy- had already come into contact with four (the Cullen's).

It's a whole lot of information crammed into her head in so little time, and then Seth's rushing into the room with his phone in hand. "Quil called! Sam's on his way to pick up Darcy and show her the ropes."

Leah scowls. "He's gonna make her pack."

"What?! No." Darcy frantically shakes her head. "I don't want to be part of a pack. Especially Sam's! I never really liked him."

"You have to," Seth frowns. "It's just the way things go."

"But I have a life!" She protests, her anger quickly returning. "As much as I love you guys, I'm not staying in La Push. I won't."

"Then you better think of something fast. Sam doesn't like it when the pups disobey."

Seth still looks sad about her predicament, but Leah looks determined to fight by Darcy's side. Mind whirling, Darcy tries to think of a way to get herself out of this, especially since an alpha's command can really mess with her mind, and she comes to an immediate conclusion. But bringing _them_ here can cause all sorts of problems not just for herself, and she's not really sure she wants to bring that sort of attention on her family.

Bringing her thumb up to her mouth, Darcy starts to pace while nervously chewing on her nail. She manages to glance out the window after several passes and her knees nearly buckle when she catches sight of three giant werewolves just standing at the edge of the woods behind her aunt's home.

"Screw it," she breathes. "I'm calling in backup."

Marching over to the dresser where her phone sits, Darcy ignores Seth and Leah's hissed protests and activates the panic alarm on her phone. Then opening up her text messages, she sends out a mass text to a select few.

 **To** : Tony, Natasha, Steve  
 **From** : Darcy Lewis  
 _The panic alarm is not accidental. Something's happened.. and I might actually need Big Green on my side. Send my apologies to Bruce, but I need Hulk to contain a few assholes for me._

"Who the hell did you just text?!" Leah hisses. "Now's not the time to blurt out our secret."

Darcy gulps. "Now's the perfect time. I'm not doing anything against my will, Lee-Lee, and if I need my friends here, then so be it."

She places her phone back on the dresser and skips out on shoes as she heads for the back door since she's not sure what actually triggers the shift and she rather not ruin a pair of her shoes.

Outside, Sam Uley stands bare-chested with two giant wolves at his back. Darcy's insides tremble at the sight of them, but she steels herself and continues to close the distance between them.

"I hear congratulations are in order," Sam speaks. He's a lot older than Darcy remembers and more intimidating, but that could just be because Darcy knows he's an alpha and she ranks at the very bottom of the pyramid as of now. "Quil told us you were showing signs of phasing."

At Sam's back, one of the wolves whine and lowers his head in shame. Darcy narrows her eyes at the wolf, crossing her arms over her chest before meeting Sam's gaze once more. "I did," she finally answers. "However, I don't think this is something to congratulate. I didn't want this. I _don't_ want this, so whatever you've come here to say, keep it to yourself and turn around and go home."

The second, darker wolf at Sam's back growls, his top lip trembling and showing off a set of impressive canines. "Paul, don't," Sam says and the wolf immediately quiets though he keeps on glaring at Darcy. "I don't know what Seth and Leah have told you, but all wolves need an alpha. Given that I'm the only alpha here, you're coming with-"

"No!" She snaps. "I'm not going anywhere."

Sam bristles. "As alpha-"

"Shove it up your ass!" Darcy yells. Seth gasps and Leah snorts, and Darcy can feel herself trembling in anger. "I.. will not.. stay here! I have a life in New York," she seethes, eyes blazing in anger.

"Darcy Lewis," Sam says, his voice taking on an odd tone that causes Darcy to whine deep in the back of her throat. "-you will-"

But the rest of his words are drowned out as Darcy wills herself to think of something else, of anything else and not listen to the command the alpha's no doubt giving her. Her head turns to the left, baring her throat, but then the thought of her subconsciously doing that angers her and she snaps her gaze towards Sam who startles at the sudden ferocity in which he's being stared down.

"You really want to try me, Uley? My friends will be here any minute and they won't stand for this."

"You will out us?" Sam's face suddenly turns thunderous. "We are your people! The secret of the Quileute-"

"Has never been told to a non-local," Darcy glares. "I know! But you're leaving me no choice, Sam. I will not be held here against my will all because I turned into a damn shapeshifting wolf protector. If you had just done your job and kept the Cold Ones away from here, I wouldn't have been put in this position!"

Sam opens his mouth to retort, but whatever he was going to say is drowned out by the familiar engine sounds of a quinjet. The whirring of Iron Man's suit comes closer and Darcy breathes out a sigh of relief as the familiar red and gold suit lands next her and sends her cousins squawking off to the side.

Iron Man stares at Sam then at Darcy, his face plate sliding up a moment later. "You called us in because of overgrown mutts, Lewis? I thought you were in trouble."

"I am," she says, but pauses when Captain America jumps from the quinjet and lands on the other side of her in a crouch, his shield at the ready as he takes in his surroundings once he's at his full height.

"You called in Avengers," Seth airily says. Slowly, a grin overtakes his features. "My cousin knows the Avengers!"

"Seth, not now," Darcy sighs. "Freak out later." Then looking between Steve and Tony, she asks, "Where's Hulk?"

Steve points upward. "On the jet. If things turned south, then he'll jump on out."

Darcy nods and then looks out across the small distance between herself and the glaring alpha. "Like I said, I'm not staying here. If you want to make a scene, the Avengers will back me up and you'll bring a whole lot of attention down on the Reservation and the tribe."

"Wait, what?" Tony scoffs. "Keep you here? Against your will?!"

"Catch up, Tin Man," Darcy says, her gaze never leaving that of Sam's.

The alpha is breathing harder and harder, his form shaking and Darcy knows what's about to happen before it actually does. Exploding out of his skin and shorts in anger, the biggest black wolf stares down at all of them and growls threateningly at Darcy, snapping his jaw in anger. Tony and Steve swear and fall into their battle stances, but before they can do anything else, the sound of ripping clothing and more snarling catch their attention.

Instead of where Darcy's supposed cousins stood, there are now two light colored snarling wolves and the smallest of the two lunges at the black wolf with an angry growl.

"Seth, don't!" Darcy screams, and the one Sam had called 'Paul' meets the smaller wolf head on in a clash of claws and teeth before Seth can touch the alpha. The second light colored wolf attacks then with an angry snarl. "Leah!" Darcy screams again.

Sam meets Leah in the middle, he rearing back and swatting down Leah's head with his large paw. His jaw then clamps down on the back of her neck and he tosses her into the trees without a thought. When Leah's body connects harshly with the trees, she yelps in pain and Darcy sees red.

"Step back, boys," Darcy says and pushes aside Steve and Tony. "He just crossed the line."

Steve and Tony stumble back, their own eyes going wide as Darcy transforms right before them. When her front paws land on the Earth beneath her, she's immediately snarling at the black wolf. Sam snarls right back, he taking slow steps towards her and the two Avengers are shocked to see Darcy lower to her belly even as she continues to snarl her displeasure at him.

The black wolf stands proudly, yet threateningly, over her and Tony's had enough. His gauntlet whirs to life and when the wolf moves his jaw a little too close to Darcy's neck, Tony fires and hits the black wolf on the side of it's face. "One more inch, Cujo, and you and all your little friends will be carted off to the dog pound."

The wolf snarls again, red eyes zeroed in on Tony as he steps away from Darcy.

"Look," Steve says, his Captain America voice in full force. "We don't have the full story, but Darcy's told us very little about tales she heard as a child. Clearly, they're not just tales, and no one other than those in the tribe or whatever know about this. The way I see it, you have two choices. You either let Darcy come home with us or you force your dominance over our friend and we bring in SHIELD who will most likely tag you like animals and keep you under surveillance for the rest of your lives."

The black wolf snarls some more, backing up and transforming back into a very naked human. "You wouldn't do that. You bring in whatever this SHIELD is and they take your friend as well."

Tony tuts at him while waggling one mechanical finger at him. "But you see, that's where you're wrong. The Director of SHIELD has a soft spot for our little Darce and he'll keep her name out of it. He'll even keep her cousins out of it if she wishes and it'll be your word against ours. There is no win here for you."

"She has no control," Sam grounds out. "She'll be a danger to herself and others, and the city is no place for a shifter of her size."

"We have safe houses all over the place," Tony shrugs. "And all control comes from centering yourself and finding peace. If zen is what she needs, we've got a guy to teach her a breathing trick or three."

"It's not the same."

Tony rolls his eyes. "Of course, it isn't. Well, if she needs a shifter to teach her, her cousins will. We have all the space in the world for a couple more pups." By now, Darcy's standing on all fours and she snaps her attention to Tony and growls. "Easy, easy," he laughs. "You know me, I poke fun."

Tension leaking out some, the two light colored wolves limp back towards Darcy and flank her. And seeing as they're not being a threat towards them, Steve and Tony step closer to the three wolves.

"This is unheard of," Sam shakes his head.

"Yeah, well, so are a lot of things," Tony smirks. "Get with the times, Clifford. Even being what you are, asserting your dominance over someone is a big no-no if they don't want it."

As silence lingers, one by one all the werewolves start shifting to their human forms. Darcy and Leah are the last two shift, Leah standing proudly in all her naked glory while Darcy stays crouched and blushing when Tony smirks at her Steve gapes before quickly averting his gaze.

There are some more angry mutterings from Sam, all which are quickly shot down by Tony, and Darcy doesn't dare move a muscle less she flash her friends anything important. After what seems like hours, Sam, Paul and Quil leave, and Darcy breathes a huge sigh of relief.

"Steve, give me your shield. I need coverage and my asshole cousins are not helping their favorite relative out by bringing me clothes anytime soon." Two sets of snickers confirm that her cousins have indeed left her in her vulnerable state on purpose, and Darcy smiles up at Steve in thanks when he places the shield on the ground next to her and quickly straightens up while she picks up the shield and holds it out in front of her. "Thank fuck Clint's not here."

"Uh, actually," Steve says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "He's piloting the jet. You're just lucky Nat's his co-pilot so he can't snap any pictures of you in your state of.. undress."

Darcy grumbles while glaring up at the sky to where the quinjet's still hovering, her attention then being diverted to Leah who clears her throat. "Uh, were you being serious earlier?" She asks, her gaze on Tony and tone awkwardly gentle. "That there's room for more than one shapeshifter?"

"Honey, I'm Iron Man," he smirks. "We've got the room. You interested?"

Leah glances at Darcy, only to find her cousin grinning broadly. "Possibly. My brother and I, we have no pack here. Sam's the alpha and since we left his pack for another, he's still bitter about it. After tonight, things will only be worse," she frowns, anger igniting in her eyes seconds later. "La Push is our home, but if we have to, we'll leave. My mom's thinking of moving to Forks, anyway, and Seth and I aren't exactly keen on that idea because of the leeches."

"Then sure, kid. Welcome to the land of the misfit toys. You can explain what you mean by leeches later."

Darcy snorts and as all attention turns to her, she grins. "What he said," she says, addressing her cousins. Then looking to Tony and Steve, she shrugs. "I know you have a lot of questions, but please, not now. I have an aunt to speak to and they have a mother to tell some news to, but don't go too far! I have a feeling staying here the rest of my vacation is just not in the cards so as soon as aunt Sue knows what's going on, you guys are helping us pack up what we're taking to New York."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Tony salutes her. "Now go put on some clothes. Steve's shield being held against the naked goods is bound to be illegal."

Darcy flips him the bird, but when Seth starts mumbling about Darcy disgracing the purity of Captain America, she groans aloud and marches towards her aunt's house without a care in the world of who sees her butt.


	19. Fast and the Furious

Darcy's just gotten done furiously defending the Avengers via phone interview, slamming the receiver into the cradle with only an ounce of satisfaction when Tony saunters into her space. One of the perks of being a PR Manager was her swanky little office and office phone that she could slam the receiver down when annoyed instead of punching the 'end call' button on a touchscreen.

"One moment," she grumbles, holding up a finger in Tony's direction. She closes her eyes, pinches the bridge of her nose, and sighs out in annoyance. "I hate all these entitled assholes who believe you guys are at fault for all the damage done to the city. Like, I'm sorry, did you want the Avengers to just ignore the threat to the city? Do they not understand how much more damage there'd have been had the Avengers not taken care of it?"

In the seat he had taken while Darcy ranted, Tony rests his right ankle over his left knee and shrugs. "We're used to it. Damned if we do, damned if we don't, kid."

She sighs again. "I know." Then rolling her shoulders and finally meeting Tony's gaze, Darcy pastes on a smile. "What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?"

"Always the professional, Miss Lewis," he teases. Darcy rolls her eyes with a soft chuckle and Tony pulls up a tablet that had been sitting between his thigh and the side of the chair. "FRIDAY alerted me that you had a visitor downstairs. The person in question doesn't look like someone you'd associate with, so I thought I'd show you the security feed to make sure we don't have any unwanted visitors trying to get to you. It's the bald guy."

Tony passes Darcy the tablet and she takes it with a slight frown. Watching the black and white footage, Darcy squints her eyes at the male figure standing by the front desk. Clad in a leather jacket and jeans, Darcy gasps when he turns around and she finally sees his face. Not even the dark square aviator sunglasses can hide that once familiar mug, and the silver chain with a rather large cross hanging against his chest is a dead giveaway as well.

"Dom," she breathes in awe, smiling wide a moment later. Glancing up at Tony, her eyes sparkle. "It's Dom!"

The tablet clatters atop her desk and Darcy pushes her chair away from her station to jump to her feet. She rushes for her office door and disappears into the hallway, Tony only catching up in time to see her disappear behind the elevator doors. Inside the elevator, she's practically jumping from foot to foot in excitement.

Dominic Toretto was the older brother she never had, he having dated her adopted sister for years until they got married secretly with her as their one witness in the Dominican Republic. He had given Darcy her first car, taught her the ins and outs of fixing it up, and showed her the rules of the street. Letty had been happy to let her little sister tag along, especially when Darcy showed she could handle a car, and had no problem getting into fist fights over people who talked shit about Darcy just because she wouldn't give them the time of day.

But the last time Darcy had laid eyes on Dom in person was nearly seven years ago- the last time being _after_ Letty's funeral since Dom was a wanted criminal and couldn't show his face during. He had followed Darcy back to her apartment and held her as she bawled over her lost sister, and then he took off in the early morning hours without a word. Afterwards, Darcy had thrown herself into her school work and took off for college on the other side of the country.

The elevator doors ding open, knocking Darcy from her thoughts, and she finds herself running into the lobby. "Dom!"

The person in question whirls around and Darcy's treated to a smile she hasn't seen in years. "Darcy-Lou." His gravelly voice makes tears spring to her eyes as she slams into him, her arms wrapping around his neck as his wrap low around her waist and lift her up. "You're hard to track down, you know that?"

She laughs joyously, squeezing him tighter and ignoring the stares they're no doubt getting. "What are you doing here?" She asks him. And then when she's back on both her own feet, the realization of his presence hits full force and her smile instantly drops. " _What are you doing here?!_ " She then hisses lowly. "You're a wanted-"

But Dom's laughing and shaking his head. "Not anymore. All our names have been cleared."

"..what?"

"Turns out the government needed our crew to take out a bigger threat. If we did what they needed, then we'd be clear of all charges."

"And being who you guys are, you accomplished exactly what they wanted." Darcy huffs, the corner of her lips ticking up into a smirk. She quickly glances over both his shoulders, her smirk faltering just a bit. "Where's everyone else?"

She notices that he's quiet a little longer than necessary and when Darcy glances back up at him, Dom heaves a sigh. "So much I gotta tell you, kid, but most importantly.. I have someone who wants to see you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Dom gestures to the left with his head and as Darcy's gaze follows to where he wants her to look, the air in her lungs seem to whoosh from her in one awed exhale. Because standing just a few several feet away from them is Letty- Letty who she had buried so many years ago, but is actually alive and breathing and smiling at her with tear-filled eyes. Darcy glances back at Dom with wide eyes, but he merely smiles and chuckles some more. "Like I said, there's a lot I gotta tell you." And that's all Darcy needs to hear before releasing her hold on Dom and rushing for her sister.

Letty looks completely different than when Darcy last saw her- her sister wearing her hair long and wavy, and boots that actually have a steep thin heel rather than being flat. Letty's rough laugh echoes around the lobby, as well as Darcy's sobs as the two sisters cling to each other.

They don't know how long they're standing there clinging to one another, but then a throat clearing rather loudly after Darcy has calmed some has her picking her head up and finding Tony standing by the elevator bank. "As touching as whatever reunion this is, you're scaring my employees, Lewis. Come upstairs. Clint and Steve are a little too excited to see you introduce your big friend here," he gestures at Dom. "-to Barnes. He actually shifted from foot to foot when we were watching the live feed of what was going on down here. It was marvelous."

Darcy sighs. "Tony, leave Bucky alone. And Dom, I'm warning you right now, no bullshit big brother act."

Dom seems to puff his chest out at her words and Tony smiles gleefully.

"You're actually friendly with Stark and his boy band of superheroes?" Letty asks, eyebrow ticking up as she glances between her little sister and Tony Stark. "From what we read about you, I thought you just.. managed? Cleaned up their messes."

"Unfortunately," Darcy deadpans and Tony gasps in mock hurt.

"I'm wounded, Lewis!"

"Shut up, Tony. Come on, Letty and Dom. Might as well meet everyone now since they know you're here."

 **xXx**

Eighty seven floors up, Dom and Letty find themselves sitting in the lounge area of what Darcy calls the Common Room. It's basically an open floor space with the designated dining room, kitchen, and a lounge area with a large flat screen TV and an impressive home theater system and gaming consoles. There's a hallway off to the left of the elevator that houses a couple of bathrooms since there's usually a large group hanging out on the floor, and a couple of guest bedrooms for those who are too tired to head back to their apartment.

Darcy tearfully introduces everyone to her sister and her brother-in-law much to everyone's gobsmacked expressions- because yes, Darcy told them of her sister that had been murdered and her husband who was a criminal- and that they're names have been cleared (so, Steve, please stop looking as if you're about to tackle them to the ground and zip-tie their hands together before calling in the authorities). She then introduces her family to the Avengers even if they are known world-wide, but lingers a little on Bucky as she explains just who exactly Bucky is to her.

"We're.. engaged," she says slowly, cringing when Letty's face goes a little stony and Dom zeroes in his sole attention on Bucky. "But you two can give the shovel talks later. Right now, I want to know how my sister is alive and standing right before me."

Dom and Letty take another moment to stare down Bucky, Letty only letting up when Clint passes out bottles of beer. "You would fall for a goddamn _vato_ who looks like a greaser with his hair all slicked back."

Steve barks out a laugh as Bucky nervously runs his hand over said slicked hair, and Darcy rolls her eyes while plopping herself in his lap. "Yes, well, you have yourself a bald Thor. Do go on with what I want to hear." Letty smiles while glancing at Dom who's staring at her little sister with a fond grin, she then relaxing in her seat and taking a swig of her ice cold beer.

As the time passes on, Darcy learns about how Letty was actually working undercover for Brian in tracking down a drug trafficker all in order to clear Dom's name when she had supposedly died. Things had went south, Letty was found out, and she was chased until her car flipped and exploded. Only she was thrown from the car when it flipped and the explosion merely knocked her out. From there, another one of Dom's enemies who knew of her connection to Dom found her in the hospital and instead of killing her, he kept her close when he learned of her amnesia.

Natasha and Pepper join Tony, Steve, Clint, and Bucky as Dom talks of all the heists they've pulled off, and Darcy points out that they've been freed of all charges when Pepper looks wary. Then when Darcy finds out that Dom's known Letty's been alive for a little over two years and looks hurt about the fact that they didn't seek her out sooner, Letty jumps in to explain that she's _only just_ got her memories back. When Letty had first found out that she had a sister out there, she thought it'd only hurt more for her sister to see her alive and she not have a clue as to what Darcy actually meant to her. But the moment her memories came back in a flood, they waited until Dom's most serious injuries healed up before getting Tej and Ramsey- the crew's hackers- to locate Darcy.

"Ramsey?" Darcy reluctantly lets everything go and decides to be grateful that Letty's here now. "The crew's gotten bigger since I've been gone, huh?"

"You have no idea," Dom drawls. "Mia's a mom now."

Darcy gapes and sits a little straighter in Bucky's lap. "What? Since when?"

"A few years now," he chuckles. "Little Jack's actually about to be a big brother."

"Holy shit," she breathes. "Brian, man. Couldn't keep it in his pants, could he? What else did I miss?"

Her sister and brother-in-law quickly turn somber, the both of them chugging the rest of their beers. "Not all of it's been running from the law, helping the law, and popping out kids, Darcy-Lou. We've had three other funerals since we've last talked," Dom tells her.

Darcy's shoulders slump and Bucky's immediately reaching for one of her hands. "Who?"

"Vince, Han, and Giselle."

Only two of those names stick out to Darcy, but crew is family so she feels the loss of all three. As her breath stutters and tears fill her eyes, Letty breaks in and steers the conversation in the other direction. "So what about you? How exactly did you land in the lap of luxury?"

And when Darcy takes a moment too long to answer, Clint takes the floor. "She tased the Norse God of Thunder! Took him down and everything, and the rest was history."

Several of the room's occupants chuckle and Darcy eventually joins in.

"Thor? You tased Thor?!" Dom asks.

"Well my boss hit him with her van!" She defends. "We got off to see if he was okay and then he started yelling at the sky. I thought he was just some drunk frat guy, so I tased him when he took a step in my direction."

"Yeah and now he calls her his little lightning sister," Tony huffs. "It's sickeningly sweet and totally unfair. Prank wars just aren't the same when a Norse god can just lay his hammer on your chest and you not move an inch."

Letty openly laughs then, she trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her sister has such a close knit group of friends. A family. "And you two?" She eventually asks, gesturing between Darcy and Bucky. "How'd that happen?"

Tony, Clint, and Steve snicker as Darcy blushes and shifts in her seat, she then glancing over her shoulder at Bucky who shrugs and tells her to explain. "You guys do know who each and every Avenger is, right? Including who he is?" She asks while gesturing with her thumb at Bucky.

Dom nods. "The metal arm is a dead giveaway, kid. Go on."

"Yeah, well, when Steve went on his epic adventure to track his BFF down and bring him in, Nat decided it was time that I learned to truly defend myself without a taser. I learned a lot of self defense from the best around here and when Bucky was finally brought in, he actually kept his distance. I knew he was in the building, but our paths never crossed. Then one night he surprised me in kitchen when I was grabbing a late night snack- dude is seriously light on his feet- and I kind of squeaked, fell into a crouch, and punched him in the balls."

Tony, Steve, and Clint are outright laughing now, and Bucky smirks. "It was love at first _'Dammit, Barnes, wear a goddamn bell around your neck or something'!_ " He explains. "She's beautiful when she's angry."

Dom shakes his head in amusement, eyes crinkled at the corner, but Letty only has eyes for Darcy. "Are you telling me the Black Widow taught you self defense when she found out the Winter Soldier was coming here?"

"And Hawkeye," Darcy tells her. "Along with the Winter Soldier when he realized I wasn't running away screaming from him. I'm still learning, actually, so there's no need to be worried."

"I'm not," Letty assures her. "If they taught you to defend yourself, then that means they care a great deal for you."

Natasha nods, speaking for the first time since she's stepped foot on the floor. "Of course. She's family."

"Good," Dom says. "Then that means we don't have to threaten Sergeant Barnes that if he hurts Darce, we'll kill him."

"Way ahead of you, buddy," Tony waves him off. "Everyone in this room plus Thor, Jane, and the Hulk have threatened Barnes. We got your baby sister covered."

Darcy groans as everyone turns to grin at her and Bucky, she turning and curling up in Bucky's lap as she shields her heating face in Bucky's neck.

Hours pass with Darcy, Letty, and Dom sharing stories both from before and after Letty's _death._ Pepper has pizza delivered for an early dinner and everyone seems to want to hear more stories from Darcy's youth.

"I don't know," Clint laughs after one particular story. "I've seen Darcy drive before and it's nothing like you guys have explained."

"What?!" Darcy yelps. "I wasn't even trying then, Hawkass."

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

The room goes quiet as Bucky groans because everyone knows that Darcy can't pass up what basically is a dare in her books. She goes tense at Bucky's feet- she had slipped to the floor when they'd started eating- and quickly climbs to her feet.

"You're on. We're playing Cat and Mouse."

Tony leans forward, eyes glinting. "What exactly is Cat and Mouse, Lewis?"

"What do you think, Tones? I'm the mouse and Clint's the cat. He has to catch me."

"Pft. Easy."

Dom and Letty both smirk, as does Darcy though her smile is more devious. "Is that so? The city's our playground, Clinton. I don't think you've got the skills to keep up with me."

Clint's smile falters, his expression turning serious. "You're on." No one mocked his skills. No one.

Pepper and Steve now seem a little wary, especially when they start talking about which cars they're going to be driving. Reckless driving is illegal, no matter if you're a superhero or not, but Tony waves it off and tells them he's got something that will help them avoid police cars. He then orders everyone down to the garage so they can pick out their cars, but Clint chooses one of their regular suped up SUV's and before Darcy can go perusing through the rest of the garage for the perfect vehicle, Dom tells her he's got her covered.

"Where exactly is the entrance outside for the garage?" He asks. "Darcy will be driving my car."

She perks up at Dom's words, asking what car he's driving, but he ignores her in favor of Bucky. "Let's head on up. I'll show you the entrance."

Dom nods and agrees, and soon leaves with Bucky, and Darcy turns her attention to Letty who's eyeing Stark's cars with an appreciative eye. "What's Dom driving nowadays? Is it fast?"

"Wait and see, Darce. You won't be disappointed."

And disappointed she's not when she hears the roar of an engine, Dom's shiny black 1970 Dodge Charger coming into view a moment later. Steve, Clint, and Tony gape at the car, and Bucky's grinning like an idiot in the passenger seat with his head out the window. "Dibs on riding with Darcy!"

"Your ass is climbing in the back, Terminator. I haven't ridden with my sister in years." Bucky looks at Letty and shrugs, grin still in place.

"Fine by me."

When all is said and done, and everyone's in their respective vehicle (Darcy, Letty, Bucky and Natasha in the Charger while Clint, Dom, Steve and Tony took the SUV) except for Pepper who opted to stay at the tower, Darcy places a small rectangular device on the dashboard.

"What's that?" Letty asks, buckling her seat belt.

"One of Stark's inventions," Darcy answers. Then, "FRIDAY, please bring up the map of the city and blip all police vehicles in red."

" _As you wish, Miss Lewis._ "

Letty's quirks an eyebrow as she watches a small holo-screen take up the middle of the windshield, she watching as the red blips move along the screen as if she's driving in some video game. "That's got to be illegal."

Darcy laughs. "It's usually used for keeping track of one of our own or the enemies, but it's nice to rebel every once in a while." Bucky and Natasha huff in the backseat, and Darcy meets their gazes in the rear view mirror. "You know I'm right. Now, be prepared to be dazzled by my amazing skills."

FRIDAY leads them to a part of the city that's currently empty of all police vehicles and civilians, and Darcy and Clint come to a stop side by side. Windows rolled down, Letty explains to Clint that he has to catch Darcy after a ten second head start, and by catch she means he has to tap his front bumper to Darcy's back to signify the end of the game.

"Put a time limit on it," Darcy says. "If not, I'll be driving all night."

Clint glares from his vehicle. "Do whatever you want, Lewis. Winner gets to make the loser do whatever they want."

She takes only a second to think about it. "I'll do you one better. You catch me and I'll make you my Maid of Honor instead of Natasha."

He seems to grin in delight before schooling his features and narrowing his eyes. "And if I don't?"

"You lose and you become my flower girl complete with a flower crown and basket full of petals instead of one of Buck's groomsmen."

Natasha and Letty snort, and Bucky outright laughs. Taking the bet, Clint nods. "You're on."

"Great! And one more thing," Darcy adds as she revs the engine. "I got FRIDAY to disable both our GPS trackers unless it's an emergency so there's no cheating. Good luck." And with that, Darcy leans back in her seat while she shifts the car into gear. She burns out next to the SUV, Letty laughing at Clint's gobsmacked expression when the Charger lurches forward with speed her sister's no doubt driven while in their company.

Wind whipping her hair in all directions, Darcy laughs as she shifts again and presses her foot down harder on the gas. As the car gains more speed, she easily maneuvers between other vehicles and Bucky whoops in the backseat at this new form of adrenaline rushing through his veins. Watching his fiance handle such a beautiful car really did it for him.

Back at their starting point, Clint grimaces as the ten seconds are finally up and he presses down on the gas pedal. "I'm not gonna catch her, am I?"

Dom chuckles. "For what it's worth, I think you're gonna look cute in a flower crown."

* * *

After Darcy handed Clint his ass by evading him well passed their time limit, Tony offers Dom and Letty a guest room at the tower for whenever they want to visit Darcy. They have other things to attend to and Darcy has work to get back to, but the family makes plans to meet up with one another soon. But from then on, Darcy ends up getting reacquainted with the old crew and it's new members via Skype.

Two months pass with only phone calls and video calls before Darcy sees her sister again, this time Letty having shown up with Mia and a little blonde boy clinging to Mia's hand. She greeted Mia like a sister and immediately cooed at little Jack and Mia's barely showing baby bump. As it turned out, little Jack had been a fan of Captain America and Darcy took great pleasure in introducing her nephew to Steve who in turn occupied the boy's time for nearly their entire visit. And as Letty and Mia got ready to leave that one day, Letty extended an invitation to everyone she'd met her previous time there to attend _Race Wars._

Needless to say, Pepper Potts and Captain Rogers worked out a few days that everyone would have the same time off so they could go.

 **xXx**

"Are you sure what I packed is okay?" Pepper asks, eyeing her luggage critically. It was early morning and Tony was flying everyone out to meet Letty and Dom for Race Wars.

"Yes," Darcy laughs. Hand in hand with Bucky, she lowers a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. "The women who attend this event literally wear the least amount of clothing they can get away with, so when I say what you packed is perfectly fine, I mean it."

"Yeah? And what exactly are you going to be wearing, doll?"

Darcy glances up at Bucky, a smirk slowly forming. "You'll just have to wait and see. I'm doing my hair and makeup on the jet with Pep and Nat, but I'm getting dressed at Mia's. Since this is technically my return onto the scene, Letty says I have to do it in style. I'm dusting off my old car for this."

Bucky chuckles lowly, bringing up their hands and pressing a quick kiss to the back of Darcy's hand. "I can't believe I never knew about this part of you, sweetheart. I ain't gonna lie, it's really damn arousing."

Snorting, Darcy shakes her head. "And that's because you haven't even seen me dress the part. Just wait, Barnes. Your mind is about to be blown."

 **xXx**

When the jet lands, all the boys are dressed in jeans, boots, and very fitted tees. Steve grew out his beard for the occasion so it'd be a little harder to recognize him, and everyone had their own pair of dark sunglasses. Pepper had opted to wear a sleeveless black and white striped tank top that she tied the bottom into a knot above her bellybutton, and a pair of rolled cuff jean shorts. Natasha, on the other hand, opted for a white floral lace romper with a plunging v-neckline.

Tej, Brian and Letty are all waiting at the airport for them, and after introductions are made, Letty and Darcy go their separate ways. Tej and Bryan have everyone choose which SUV they'll be riding in, and Letty takes Darcy back to Mia's where she's gonna finish getting ready and pick up her car.

At _Race Wars,_ Tej and Brian pull up with two vehicles full of awestruck attendees. While they understood this was a car event and there'd be a sheer amount of people that would most likely attend, some of them didn't actually believe Darcy when she said there were wet t-shirt contests going on or that women walked around with the smallest bikinis imaginable with only fish net on top of that. ("This is why Mia stayed home with Jack," Brian had laughed at Steve's deepening blush as he stared out the windows. "My boy won't be attending until he's eighteen.")

Clint excitedly points out everything that catches his fancy, especially the bikini-clad car washes, and Tony is surprisingly more intrigued by all the vehicles.

"Ladies," Dom greets both Pepper and Natasha with a kiss to their cheek after they've all made their way to two white tents offering shade. "Glad you all could make it, gentlemen," he then addresses the rest of the group.

"No problem," Steve smiles. "Thanks for the invite. This is.. really something else."

Bucky laughs, elbowing his best friend. "I'll say. It's kind of hard to wrap my mind around the fact Darcy used to show up here."

"Yeah, well, baby Darce didn't dress like all the women are now. She wasn't allowed to," Dom chuckles. "Darce was all about her overall shorts and boots, and _fuck off_ attitude."

"Well with a sister like Letty, I now see where she gets it," Clint adds. Then realizing what he's said and to _who_ , he fidgets. "Uh, don't tell Letty I said that."

Dom chuckles some more and wraps an arm around Clint's shoulders, dragging him further under the tent. He points out all their drinks and light snacks, and introduces them to Roman and Ramsey who are also there for the event.

Clint and Roman hit it off right away, cracking jokes that have Nat and Dom regretting the two meeting, Brian finds an easy in with Steve and Bucky, and Ramsey finds herself in quite the conversation about computers with Tej, Tony, and Natasha while Dom keeps Pepper entertained with how he and Letty invented Race Wars long ago. Everyone seems to soak in the atmosphere, the music thumping and the sounds of engines revving and tires squealing actually soothing them into a state of being at ease. But soon enough, Dom's gathering everyone up and telling them to follow him because Letty and Darcy were nearly there.

Sure enough, Letty rolls in driving Dom's Dodge Charger and an old school blue Mercury Cougar revs it's engine right behind her as soon as it enters the premises. Heads turn and a crowd starts to gather, making a pathway of sorts for the two cars now side-by-side that are driving forward at a slow pace. A handful of people start excitingly talking about Letty and others are shocked because _it's Little D!_

Letty parks and climbs out of the car, laughing as several people start whooping and cheering at her appearance, and even more people start whooping and catcalling when Darcy parks and gets out. But the gathered Avengers and friends are actually shocked speechless at the sight of their youngest, because while Letty is donning loosely fitted jeans slung low on her hips and a black wife-beater, Darcy looks the complete opposite.

A black fitted, cropped blazer buttons just beneath her chest with what appears to be a white crop top underneath it, and dark blue high-waisted shorts cling to her like a second skin. Black hose darken the color of her legs and heeled boots are the only item of clothing that Darcy's New York family is used to seeing her wear. Her hair is straight and the only dark makeup she wears is that of her eye shadow and the burgundy color of her lips.

"Ladies. Gentlemen," Darcy purrs with a smug smile as she saunters up to them after wading through a crowd of people. "Welcome to Race Wars." Bucky makes a strangled noise deep in the back of his throat, and Darcy's smile widens. "I take it everyone's settling in nicely?"

"Very nicely," Tony says, leering playfully. "You know, Lewis, I didn't think this place would be my scene, but.. I like it. I like it a lot."

"Of course, you do."

"Mhm. Now, what exactly do people race for? Is it all just for fun?"

Now tucked beneath a very possessive Bucky's arm, she shakes her head. "Each race costs something, either a wad of money or pink slips. But today, Letty and I will be racing just to race. It's been way too long."

Tony turns thoughtful as Darcy's attention is diverted elsewhere. Tej and Roman and Ramsey all get welcoming hugs and teasing quips, and Ramsey is welcomed easily into the fold as family once Tej introduces her as his girlfriend. Soon enough, Darcy's leading around Bucky and Steve so they can get the full experience of Race Wars, and then Roman's seeking them out because her race with Letty is coming up.

Once everyone's gathered under their tents, Dom and Brian lead everyone to the starting point while Darcy and Letty get in their respective vehicles. Engines then idling and creeping forward until they're at the starting line, Darcy and Letty both turn their heads so they're staring at one another.

"You ride," Letty says.

"I ride," Darcy then finishes. It'd been their motto of sorts, just as _Ride or Die_ has always been since for as long as she can remember, and both women rev their engines with wide grins.

Tony suddenly appears between both vehicles, glancing at the sisters as he crouches down. "So I get that you two are racing just to race, but I can't let you do that. Neither of you are putting up money or your cars, so I'll set up a prize."

"Tony," Darcy shakes her head in amusement. "You don't have to."

"Shutup," Letty says. "I wanna hear this."

"Yeah, Lewis, shut it and just accept my generous off of ten grand plus a full week stay in Paris with all expenses paid by me to whichever sister wins."

Darcy gapes and Letty snorts. "You've got some serious balls, man. Then again, this is probably pocket change to you."

"Yeah, well, seeing Rogers flame red at all the scantily clad ladies is worth it. Thanks so much for that, by the way."

"No problem."

Darcy doesn't find voice before Tony scampers away, not even when Natasha saunters up between both vehicles with a bandanna in hand and stands several feet in front of their cars. There's a lot of wolf whistles at her appearance, even more so when a few crowd members recognize her as the Black Widow.

Natasha then stands proudly with her feet shoulder width apart and points at Darcy. "Ready?" The brunette nods, both hands finding themselves on the steering wheel and gripping tight. Then staring and pointing at Letty, Natasha asks the same. "Ready?" Letty nods, too, she also revving her engine to signify her readiness.

Both hands then raising in the air and the bandanna swaying with the daytime breeze, Natasha smirks and forcefully brings her hands straight down. "Go!" Tires squeal, smoke rises in the air, and both Letty and Darcy are off in a race that they're not going to forget anytime soon.

* * *

 **Yet another open-ended ficlet. Who wins? You're guess is as good as mine :)**

 **Also, I'd like to think that after Race Wars, Brian invites everyone back to his home where he, Dom, and Tej have their biggest BBQ yet. Clint's the first to reach in for food and Letty's the one who slaps his hand away and makes him say 'grace' much to everyone's amusement (Those are the house rules!). He looks so awkward and can't stop stumbling over his words that Roman takes over for him and thanks the good Lord above for the food, giving Letty her memories back, and bringing baby Darcy back into their lives. Also, fast cars to which Tony whoops in agreement with.**


	20. Agents of SHIELD

**Author's Note: So for this crossover, we're just going to pretend that the X-Men doesn't exist because of reasons. Also, I must admit that I absolutely loathe this chapter. For the life of me, I couldn't write it. The muse completely went silent, but I had already said I was going to post this one, so I forced myself to write it and I do not like the finished product =/**

 **I guess you'll just have to read and see why.**

* * *

Darcy and Jane are both panting, both of them red in the face and skin slick with sweat. They're clearly out of shape, but in order to keep Natasha from personally training them, they promised to visit the gym three times a week for two hours at a time. Natasha would be checking, of course, and if they skipped a day then the redhead would know and personally rework their schedules to include grueling hours in the gym with herself.

"I'm too squishy for this," Darcy grimaces, holding her side as she leans against a counter top and wheezes in pain. "We should have left Thor in the desert. Our lives pre-superheroes never required us to spend time in a gym."

"Yeah, well, it also didn't involve a shirtless and sweaty Captain America so.. you know, you're welcome," Jane wheezes right back.

Darcy snorts and then groans. "Touché. You win this round."

After a moment of catching their breath, Jane finds the strength to walk over to the refrigerator and retrieve them a couple of bottled waters. Darcy gulps down half of hers after she manages to twist off the cap, she then sighing and groaning as she stumbles over to reach up high for one of the cabinets. The cabinet in question is the one that houses all the fever and cold remedies for the normal humans of the team, as well as vitamins to help boost their immune systems, and Bruce's special teas. The vitamins were the only things bypassed by anyone who visited the cabinet, but Darcy actually lingered on them now with a contemplative frown.

Maybe actually taking vitamins, keeping up with a decently healthy diet and a workout routine, and **not** relying on copious amounts of coffee would actually do her some good. "Ugh, pills," she whines. "I hate you."

Darcy then proceeds to gather up three vitamins- two in pill form and one gummy (thank you, Clint, for being a giant kid at heart)- and reluctantly tosses the two pills back with a swig of water. Once those are down, Darcy tosses the gummy in her mouth and chews furiously before finishing off her water. She's just managed to fully stand upright, heading towards the fridge for food when she feels.. _off_.

Her limbs feel heavy and she actually stumbles enough that she has to catch herself on the counter less she fall. "Jane..?" Darcy shakily calls out. She tries to move again, but her legs don't want to move. At all.

The bottom half of her torso is really heavy and as she looks up, she finds Jane staring at her. From one moment to the next, Jane's expression turns from curious to horrified and Darcy glances back down to find out why. There appears to be a substance cocooning around her feet, the blackness of it slowly moving up her legs and solidifying. Terrified, Darcy glances at Jane again and reaches out for help. "Jane! What- _help!_ "

But Jane's frozen in her place, mouth agape. The substance quickly covers Darcy from the tips of her toes and up to her waist, it moving quickly now until it's up to her chest and moving out over her outstretched arm.

"Jane!"

"Darcy!" Jane finally jerks into movement when a terrified sob escapes her friend's throat, but it's too late. The substance has covered Darcy from head to toe and has solidified to stone right before Jane's eyes. The room is deathly quiet and the petite astrophysicist can only stare on in horror at the statue of her friend. Seconds pass by of complete silence and then Jane's looking to the ceiling. "JARVIS! Alert everyone. Get the team on this floor now!"

JARVIS doesn't reply, but an alarm does sound and the normal light bulbs flash red thrice before going back to normal. She doesn't keep track of how long she gapes at the statue of her friend, but soon enough the elevators are dinging open and there's a rush of footfalls getting closer and closer.

"My love," Thor booms. "Are you injured? JARVIS said you've sounded the alarm."

"N-not me! Darcy!" Jane wails, pointing at her.

Natasha and Clint are already in front of what is obviously the source of Jane's distress, and as Clint reaches out to touch the rock statue of their friend, Bruce shouts. "Don't! Don't touch it." Immediately, the two ex-agents take a step back at Bruce's tone of alarm and find Bruce staring incredulously around the room before letting his gaze falling on Jane. "Is there- was there a blue rock crystal that broke near her? Some sort of mist or fog that she inhaled?"

"No," Jane cries into Thor's chest. "We were- we'd just come back from the gym. We drank some water and Darcy- she took some vitamins, I think. Not even a minute later and that happened!" She says as she waves in Darcy's general direction.

Brows furrowed, Bruce pulls his pair of glasses out from his lab coat pocket. "Vitamins? Do you know which ones she took?"

Jane's still sniffing as she gestures towards the counter and as Bruce heads towards it, his eyes widen and he groans as he picks up one specific bottle. "Fish oil tablets," he frowns. "I thought we got rid of all of these after that alien epidemic."

"What?!" Clint yelps. "What epidemic?"

"The epidemic Coulson and his team tried covering up," Natasha tells him.

"What?!" This time it's Tony who yelps. "Agent's alive?"

Steve sighs. "Yes, Tony, where have you been these last few years? All the information was in the SHIELD and HYDRA files Natasha released on the internet."

"Why hasn't Agent been in contact then?"

"Because he's under the impression we don't know he's alive. We were waiting for him to come to us," Natasha deadpans. "Now can we get back to the problem at hand? Why didn't anyone know Darcy had alien DNA?"

"How do you know she has alien DNA?" Clint asks.

"Because if she didn't, she'd have crumbled," Bruce answers. "Instead, she appears solid and will be in the process of hatching soon."

"H-hatching?" Jane gulps, turning in Thor's hold. "Hatching into what?"

Bruce sheepishly shrugs. "I don't know. Only the people who have alien DNA and are exposed terrigen crystals go through a process called Terrigenesis. When she hatches, she'll be an Enhanced."

"Aye," Thor solemnly agrees. "If Lady Darcy is not careful, the Kree will come for her. Her kind should not exist anymore," the Asgardian tells the room. "They were seen as threats long ago and hunted down, but apparently some were still out there if Lady Darcy is now going through the process."

"Will she be okay?" Jane asks, still teary-eyed.

This time, it's Clint who answers instead of Natasha. "Coulson has an agent on his team, one of his most trusted who goes by the name Daisy; code name: Quake. She, uh, she went through terrigenesis process and can now create earthquakes. Apparently she's one of his best agents."

The room falls silent as everyone stares warily at their cocooned friend. They talk some more about where they go from now, even suggesting that they go ahead and contact Coulson, but Natasha refuses and instead suggests they wait to see how Darcy handles her transformation. Jane reluctantly agrees, especially since she doesn't want SHIELD anywhere near her newly transformed best friend, but Natasha then also suggests they only call Coulson if things go sideways. And at that, everyone agrees since Thor seems a bit shaken about his little lightning sister being what Clint and Natasha keep calling an _Inhuman._

 **xXx**

After Bruce and Thor's startling revelation of what Darcy was soon to become, Tony had called Pepper and had her shut down SI for the rest of the day, then sent her up their pent house until further notice. Everyone had gathered around while Bruce and Tony snapped pictures of Darcy's cocoon, and Thor comforted Jane while she continued to sniffle and somehow take the blame for the situation Darcy landed herself in.

After what seemed like hours, but was really less than fifteen minutes, parts of the cocoon start to crack and crumble. Immediately, everyone's on their feet and they silently watch on as the rock around Darcy's fingers completely fall off. Her fingers wiggle and her wrist rotates, and then her other hand near her hip becomes free of the cocoon as well.

More rock continues to fall and soon enough they can hear her muffled voice. Frantically and choosing to ignore Bruce and Thor's claims of it not being safe, Jane rushes forward and starts clawing off the rock herself. Then seeing nothing happen to her by touching the rock, Clint and Natasha rush forward to help as well.

Darcy's sobbing by the time she's mostly free from her prison, she then scrambling back once she's able to move her legs again. She puts several feet between herself and her friends with her back towards the glass wall of a window that overlooks the city, terrified eyes darting frantically from one person to the next.

"Darcy? Darcy, you need to calm down," Bruce tells her.

Tears streaming down her face, Darcy's gaze latches on to him. "What's happening to me? I can- I can feel it." She glances down at her trembling hands, sniffling as she turns them over and over for inspection before looking back up at him. "Something's wrong."

The room seems to dim and it's only Thor who notices the shift in the atmosphere. Outside over the city, the cloud coverage has doubled and darkened.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asks while taking a cautious step towards her. "What exactly are you feeling right now?"

Her gaze falls again as her hands roam over her arms as if she's inspecting herself and when she glances back up, her friends all tense while Jane keens and Thor quickly tucks her back into his side. Darcy's eyes have gone milky white and now- _now_ everyone's starting to notice the ominously dark sky outside and the bubbling clouds.

"Uh, please tell me I'm not the only one noticing this," Clint asks, his hands twitching at his sides for a weapon that's not there.

Thor frowns and pushes Jane behind him as he watches the sky shift outside the window, he then stepping cautiously towards Darcy. "Lady Darcy," Thor calls out. "What is it you can feel?"

There's a beat of silence and then Darcy's meeting Thor's gaze head on. "So much." Lightning streaks across the sky at Darcy's back and thunder cracks so loud that everyone in the room actually flinches. Darcy whirls around on instinct to see what's going on, and her white eyes widen at the bubbling sky. Thunder cracks again and lightning streaks out across the sky, this time the bolts of electricity webbing out towards the building they're standing in.

Flags on neighboring buildings fly in the sudden strong breeze outside, the direction of air aimed, yet again, at the tower.

"Darcy, stop. Whatever you're doing, stop it now!"

"I-I'm not doing anything!" Darcy cries, turning to Natasha who's staring out the window wall with just an ounce of trepidation. "I don't know what's going on!"

A single lightning bolt hits the window, shattering it and sending everyone sans Thor and Darcy ducking for cover. The wind suddenly howls, whipping Darcy's hair back and forth as she turns in a circle to seek out help. "Thor! Jane, I don't- I didn't-" Thunder cracks and lightning flashes the brightest it has been since the freak storm started, and Darcy arches up on her toes with a choked off sob.

The lightning has connected with Darcy, lighting her up from the inside and making her veins glow an eerie white just below her skin. Her fingertips spark and the lightning doesn't look like it's letting up anytime soon.

It's not really a surprise that Natasha's the first to gather her wits, but it is a surprise when she pulls a handgun from the small of her back. "I'm sorry," is all the team hears before a gunshot rings out and Darcy crumples to the floor.

Immediately, there are shouts of protests and anger that Natasha shot their friend, but after a quick explanation about what an ICER gun is and how it's actually a tranq, people start to calm down.

 **xXx**

Jane watches sadly as Thor gently lays Darcy on a bed in Hulk's containment unit (Bruce had given them permission to use it even though it wouldn't be much help) and turns around to address everyone else. "What do we do?"

"We need Coulson," Natasha admits, arms crossed over her chest and face stoic. Jane is still kind of angry that she shot Darcy. "His team- they have neutralizing pods that will temporarily strip Darcy of her powers until we can learn what's going on with her and teach her to control it."

"Will Secret Agent Man even play ball?" Tony muses. "He's had years to surprise us with his miraculous back from the dead shtick, but he hasn't."

Steve shakes his head. "Doesn't matter. We've known since SHIELD fell and we've waited long enough. If he was waiting for the perfect opportunity, he's missed his chance."

"I don't know," Jane sighs when no one else comes up with a second plan. "I'm not too keen on the idea of SHIELD getting their hands on Darcy, even if the agency is new and improved."

"Shouldn't be a problem since Coulson's the Director," Clint shrugs.

"What?!" Tony hollers. "Why does no one tell me these things."

No one pays him any mind and Clint continues on. "Coulson will play ball with the rules we set down if we have the right people confronting him. Which means absolutely no Tony and no Jane- I'm sorry, but you're emotionally compromised right now and yelling will not put him in our favor."

Jane looks one second away from being offended, but after a moment's thought she hums and nods in agreement. "So who's going to speak with him?"

"Steve, for one," Natasha says, meeting the man's gaze. "Coulson respects the Captain so it'd be best to be suited up when I hack their system and connect their video feed to ours."

"I would like to be there as well," Thor admits. "I want to make it abundantly clear that no harm is to come to my lightning sister."

"Then go on and suit up, Shakespeare," Tony says as he claps him on the bicep as he passes by. "We're wasting valuable time."

Steve and Thor both nod, the both of them leaving the room as Tony calls for Natasha and Clint to follow him to their dubbed 'War Room' so they can get started on hacking SHIELD's servers. Bruce and Jane opt out to stay near Darcy in case she wakes, and Natasha promises they'll have it all sorted out before leaving.

 **xXx**

Clint and Tony are standing at Natasha's back as her fingers fly expertly over the glass keyboard, she tsking and tutting as she hacks her way into Coulson's servers. "Phil's little hacker is good," she mumbles. "-but I'm slightly better."

With Clint's intel from his ex-wife after the whole fiasco with _SHIELD vs. the REAL SHIELD_ (Bobbi Morse didn't know who to trust anymore and gave Clint everything she knew in case she needed an extraction), Natasha was able to track IP addresses and the satellites Coulson's computers were pinging off from to latch onto them.

"Come on, agent Johnson, the bait I'm laying is too obvious. Ignore it like your instinct is telling you to," she smiles sardonically. "-and take the other path. Only in taking the other path, it'll lead me right.. where.. I.. want." With a final click, Natasha huffs. "I'm in."

Their screens come to life with live video feed, the hacker on the other side oblivious to the Avengers watching her as she glances somewhere over her screen. _"I'm telling you, May, that whoever this is.. they're good. Better than good. They were jumping the firewalls faster than I could stack 'em."_ Agent Johnson is apparently half-Chinese, her hair cut just below her chin in small waves.

Steve and Thor finally enter the room without saying a word, but Natasha nods once while pointing to the screen to let them know they're in. She passes a post-it note to Steve as he and Thor take Tony and Clint's place at her back, and he gives her a quick grin to let her know she's done good work.

 _"No, I can't track whoever's trying to hack us. It's like their IP doesn't exist!"_

Steve clears his throat, loudly, and they all watch as the agent on screen tenses and her gaze falls directly where her camera and microphone sit. "I believe we've bypassed _trying_ and have officially succeeded, agent Johnson. Now if you will, please, put Director Coulson on the line. We'd like to have a word with him."

 _"Who is this?"_ Agent Johnson's gaze darts all over her side of the screen, trying to figure out who's talking to her. Natasha grins and taps the keyboard, the camera on their side coming to life and giving agent Johnson clear view of who just hacked their servers. Her eyes go wide and her throat bobs with a deep gulp, she then pushing back from her station with her hands held up in surrender. _"I didn't do it, I swear!"_

An elder female agent of Asian descent pushes agent Johnson aside to see what exactly is going on, her stoic expression then smoothing out with an unladylike snort when she sees just who's on the screen. _"Natasha,"_ she greets. _"How are you?"_

"Just fine, Melinda," the redhead curtly nods. "As much as I'd like to catch up, we have some business with Phil."

Melinda frowns. "Phil's dead."

"Cut the crap, May!" Clint yells, thankfully staying off screen. "Nat's the one who dumped all the files online. D'you really think we didn't comb through it? Besides, Fury's already confirmed it for us. We were just doing the nice thing and waiting for Coulson to come to us, but something's come up and we need his help."

Melinda sighs. _"Agent Barton, always a pleasure."_

"Likewise!"

 _"I'll go grab Phil, then."_

"Thank you, ma'am," Steve says. Melinda pauses and narrows her eyes slightly at the screen, she eventually nodding before taking her leave.

Daisy Johnson is left alone on the screen, her gaze darting between Natasha, Steve, and Thor. _"So you guys know D.C lives, huh?"_ She nervously chuckles. _"Woo! Glad that cat's out of the bag. We'd been telling him to tell you all, to call in you in for some back-up, but he refused."_

"Mhm. That's nice," Natasha drawls.

Clint and Tony snort, and it's obvious that agent Johnson is starstruck by their appearance. An awkward, tense silence falls over them, but then Director Coulson is soon stepping into the camera's view. Agent Johnson stands to move, but Steve calling out stalls her. "Agent Johnson, this concerns you as well. We'd like it if you listen to what we have to say."

Again, her eyes widen as she looks towards someone off screen before she glances at Phil and he gestures for her to retake her seat. Phil calls out to clear the room and then he's taking a seat next to agent Johnson. _"Okay, Captain Rogers, you have our attention."_

Thor shifts at Steve's side before Steve can answer, his arms crossing over his chest and putting Mjölnir in view of those on the other side of the camera. "Son of Coul, it's good to see you well."

 _"And you as well, Thor."_

"Unfortunately, the circumstances in which we sought you out could have been better."

 _"What's going on?"_

"One of our own," Steve says. "-was exposed to infected fish oil tablets earlier this afternoon." Subtly, Coulson and Daisy go tense. "It came to a surprise as us, but Dr. Banner was able to tell us what was going on. The subject in question was tranquilized by agent Romanoff after we saw the acquired powers in action, and we were told you have some experience with these _Inhumans._ " No names are said, but agent Johnson does fidget when she notices the gazes slide towards her on the screen.

Phil clears his throat. _"We do. What do you need from us, Captain?"_

"For starters," Natasha starts. "You can lend us one of your handy neutralizing pods until we can figure out what we're going to do."

 _"C-Can we meet this person? The Inhuman?"_ Daisy blurts.

"I don't see why not," Steve shrugs. "But under no circumstances is our friend going anywhere near SHIELD labs or are your scientists running tests. All we need is a pod. We take care of our own here."

Coulson doesn't look too happy with the Captain's order, but Natasha smirks. "Come on, Phil, it's the least you can do. After all, you didn't tell us you were alive."

 _"It was for your benefit. The Avengers needed-"_

"Yeah, yeah," Tony finally huffs. "We needed a kick in the ass. We get it. But seriously, Agent man, you owe us. You owe Pepper! She cried at your funeral." Hearing that the Pepper Potts shed some tears for him, the Director finally looks a bit contrite and Tony jumps on it. "So see, you owe us! You and _Quake_ need to get your butts to the tower asap with one of those nifty pods of yours. We'll see you soon!"

They only give the Director and agent Johnson a second to realize that the Avengers really do know who the Inhuman is on Phil's team, and then Natasha's ending the video feed and shutting down the computers.

"Well, that went well," Clint says, clapping his hands loudly together. "Who's hungry? I'm hungry. Let's go see if Darce is awake yet."

* * *

Darcy had woken soon after everyone had made their way back to the room, Tony having called down Pepper to let her in on what was going on. Darcy seemed to be confused as to her surroundings, but after being awake for a few minutes and remembering what had happened earlier, she started to panic and her eyes had gone milky white again in her state of distress.

Thor and Bruce did all they could to calm Darcy down, and after a brief freak storm outside, they managed to administer a mild sedative- not enough to knock her out, but enough to get her breathing normally.

"So do you guys actually know what's wrong with me or were you just bullshitting me to shut me up?" Darcy asks, waving her hand back and forth in slow motion in front of her face.

"We know what's wrong," Jane says, glancing around nervously at the gathered team. "Or rather, Bruce and Natasha and Thor knew what was wrong, and filled us in. You're going to be fine, you just have to.. breathe. And stay calm."

"Coolio. Just keep the good drugs coming and we're golden, pony boy." Darcy tries to give a double thumbs up, but she only manages to somehow whack herself in the face. Disgruntled, she glares at her hands as if they'd just betrayed her, and Clint and Tony snicker until Jane's the one glaring at them and pushing Darcy's hands down so she doesn't hit herself again.

They're up in Tony's penthouse since the Common Floor is now under construction, and everyone's waiting around for Director Coulson and agent Johnson to show up. Pepper had gone back to work, though she still sent everyone home just in case, and Bruce went back to his labs when Thor promised he had everything under control and made Natasha keep a couple syringes on her with stronger sedatives should Darcy need it.

" _Sir, your guests have arrived in the underground garage._ " JARVIS eventually informs them.

"Thanks, J. Send a team down to load the pod in the service elevator to bring up to Bruce, and bring the two agents up here in the private elevator."

" _As you wish, sir._ "

"We have guests!" Darcy suddenly sits upright, beaming brightly. "Are they bringing snacks?"

"We have all the snacks you can eat here, sweetheart," Steve informs her, smiling kindly. "What would you like? I'll grab it for you."

She takes a moment to think about it and then her eyes are widening in child-like glee. "Slim jims!" And that's how Director Coulson and agent Johnson find the assembled Avengers and friends, the lot of them watching Darcy happily tear apart a slim jim with her teeth. When her gaze lands on the two newcomers, she beams after swallowing down the chewed up spicy meat. "Yo, Super Secret iPod Thief! Welcome back to the realm of the living."

"Miss Lewis," Coulson sighs with a weak smile. "Always a pleasure. How are you?" He asks her first since everyone is rather quiet and watching how their talk is apparently playing out.

"Oh, you know, the usual," she smirks. "'Cept for the fact that I've evolved from a caterpillar into a ittle wittle butterfly!" As she says this, her voice gets squeakier as if talking to a toddler and she laughs as if she's just said the funniest thing ever.

"Is she- is she high?" Agent Johnson asks, eyes wide and a grin threatening to make an appearance. The agent in question is wearing tac gear, a single gun holstered to her thigh while Director Coulson still wears his normal suit-wear. "Please tell me that the possible inhuman in question is not stoned out of her mind?!"

"She's in a tranquilized state, yes," Natasha informs her. Gracefully standing to her feet, the Black Widow situates herself between agent Johnson and Darcy. "Had we not sedated her, her earlier panicked state would have proven to be quite dangerous. Again."

"I'm sorry," Coulson jumps in the conversation. "Do you mean to tell me that Miss Lewis-"

"Is the inhuman? Yeah," Jane pipes up. "Darcy doesn't know of her biological parents, so this came as a bit of a shock to all of us."

There's a moment of tense silence and then agent Johnson's gesturing towards Darcy. "Do you guys mind if I talk to her?"

"Knock yourself out, kid." Tony smirks at her, standing by his bar and pouring himself a drink. "Just know that if you anything we don't approve of, Shakespeare over there," he gestures to Thor. "-will be very unhappy with you."

Thor shifts, he having lost his Asgardian armor and instead choosing to wear a rather regal looking maroon long coat and jeans. Mjölnir sits on the coffee table in the middle of the room, and agent Johnson gulps under the Norse God's stare. "Dang, May was not joking about the size of his arms," she mutters quietly to Phil. His lips barely twitch at his agent's observation, and Steve covers his grin by turning his head and joining Tony at the bar.

Given the go ahead, agent Johnson then starts stripping herself of holsters and weapon. Phil raises an eyebrow at her as if asking just what the hell she's doing, but agent Johnson merely shrugs. "What? I want her to feel comfortable. We're in a room full of Avengers and if Miss Lewis is going to feel comfortable talking to me, I need to make myself less of a threat."

Her tac vest comes off next, she unzipping it and laying it atop her weapon. The cowl-like scarf is removed as well and after nervously fidgeting with her hair and tucking a few strands behind her ear, agent Johnson steps forward and hesitantly takes a seat on the empty side of the couch the inhuman and Dr. Foster are sitting on. "Hello, Miss Lewis, my name is agent Johnson, but everyone here can call me Daisy."

Darcy's gaze slides to the new woman, she grinning. "How do you know agent iPod Thief?"

Phil grumbles as he takes a seat on the sofa chair Natasha directs him to and Daisy bites her lip to keep from laughing. "DC- er, Coulson- found me when I was hacking my way around the internet and spreading the truth about some enhanced people that they were trying to keep on the low down. They put me on their version of parole, trained me up, and handed me a badge. I've been an agent ever since."

Gasping in mock outrage, Darcy turns her stare on Coulson. "I hacked into the DMV for Thor and you didn't offer _me_ agent status! Not cool, zombie agent. Not cool at all."

"Your work was amateur at best, Miss Lewis. It was nothing personal."

Darcy gasps again, eyes narrowing, and Jane grimaces uncomfortably. "Please don't taunt her. We don't need a repeat of what happened earlier."

"And what did happen earlier?" Daisy asks. "We didn't receive any details about what Miss Lewis can do."

"Uh, Miss Lewis is right here," she says, pointing at herself. "And call me Darcy. Also, I can officially claim the title of Thor's little lightning sister. Seriously. Lightning. I can summon lightning. It's amazeballs." Her eyes widen dramatically with her confession, her lips then turning up into a pleased smile.

"L-lightning? Seriously?"

"Totes."

"Okay," Daisy drawls. "Normally we'd ask for some form of proof, but that sounds kind of dangerous."

"It is," Jane sighs. "JARVIS," she then calls out. "Please playback the security feed from earlier today."

A hologram flares to life, hovering above the coffee table, and everyone watches as the earlier day's events play out. Phil and Daisy lean towards it, watching intently, and then flinch when the lightning strikes Darcy and pretty much electrifies her from the tips of her toes to the tips of her hair. The video then stops once Darcy crumples on screen and Daisy turns to the real life Darcy that's sitting next to her, Darcy who's also staring at the spot the hologram just disappeared from.

"Whoa," she breathes in awe. "I'm a superhero."

Clint snorts and then groans when Natasha elbows him, but remains the picture of innocence when people turn to stare at them. Daisy bites back a grin at the display before turning back to Darcy and takes this as her cue. "You're not a superhero, Miss Lewis," she says gently. "-but if you want to be, we can help you out with that."

The room goes dead silent and Daisy fidgets, she glancing around the room and gulping at Thor's intimidating stance by Dr. Foster's side. "I'm like you, you see, an Inhuman. I can create earthquakes, and control the tiny vibrations everything and everyone seem to emit. If you'd like, I can teach you how to control your new powers so that you don't come off as a threat to those you hold near and dear."

Phil clears his throat and leans forward in his seat. "What agent Johnson is trying to say, Miss Lewis, is that she's the head of a branch of enhanced beings called the Secret Warriors. All the inhumans we've come across are given the chance to do something great with their powers and after some brief testing, a Psychiatrist of ours deems whether or not you're ready to be a part of said team.

"Coming here, we were ready to offer you a place with us at the base, but given who your friends are," he trails off while casting wary glances around the room at several unimpressed stares. "-I'm sure they all have opinions about the situation."

"Damn right, we do," Jane says. "We didn't ask you here to recruit Darcy. We just needed a pod and you said you understood that."

"With all due respect, Doctor Foster-"

"No." Instead of Jane saying this, it's Darcy. Darcy who looks a lot more clearheaded than minutes before. "I appreciate the offer, but no," she says again.

"A-are you sure?" Daisy asks. "We have someone like you back at base, only he manipulates electricity from power sources around him and not the sky itself."

"Yeah? Well, I have Thor," Darcy shrugs.

"Touché," Daisy then grins.

With an understanding between the two women, the tension in the atmosphere seems to lessen. Daisy looks to Coulson with a look that says _well, what can we do?_ and Darcy seems to curl in on herself. Absentmindedly, her hands start rubbing up and down her arms, and she grimaces as she wiggles in her seat.

"You okay?" Jane asks, worried.

"Yeah," Darcy says. "It's just-"

"Like something's crawling beneath your skin," Daisy guesses. At her knowing expression, Darcy frowns and hesitantly nods. "It's your powers settling in. Over time, the sensation will stop. When you feel the urge to use your powers, use them," Daisy then tells her. "Trust me, stomping down the urge to release that power will only hurt you in the long run. Just ask Coulson what happened to me when I tried to keep my own power in."

Several eyes turn to Coulson as he frowns disapprovingly at the memory. "Instead of controlling her powers, agent Johnson directed them inwards and created over seventy-five mini-fractures in both her arms. She unknowingly _quaked_ her own body."

"Ouch," Darcy grumbles.

"Yeah," Daisy agrees. "So you see, Miss Lewis, it's very important that you learn control the right away. Find your zen and maintain it. Don't depend on the pod. You can't hide in it forever."

"I'll try my best."

A not so awkward silence fills the air, but then Tony being Tony is the first to break it. He asks whether or not someone's going to confront Agent about keeping them all in the dark for so long about his surprising revival from the Beyond, and when his questions spark a heated discussion about what was for the best, Darcy starts breathing a little faster and harder. No one notices since they're all too focused on Coulson, Tony and Clint, and when lightning cracks outside everyone immediately looks to Thor. But Thor seems rather amused by everyone's arguing and it isn't until Natasha softly swears that they follow her gaze to Darcy who's now curled up in on herself and her eyes an eerie white.

"See, guys, this is why we can't all be in the room at the same time!" Jane grouches.

Natasha unsheathes a needle with little reluctance and when Darcy gives the redhead a jerky nod, the brunette is sedated even more until she's unconscious.

"Was that really necessary?" Daisy frowns.

Natasha nods. "You saw what she can do. The lightning and thunder you heard was just the beginning. It would have eventually found it's way inside."

Daisy still looks upset, but Director Coulson is quick to stand to his feet while clearing his throat. "Well it seems you have everything in hand here." Daisy scoffs, but after a withering look, she sighs and stands to her feet as well to start pulling her gear back on. "If you are in need of future assistance, please don't hack my servers again. I'll have agent May get in contact with you to establish a secure line."

Natasha smirks, but after a nod of approval, the Director and his agent are quick to leave.

* * *

 **Abrupt ending, I know, but I warned you I hated this one.**


	21. Sleepy Hollow

**Author's Note: Look at me being a lying liar who lies! Well, not really.**

 **I said I was going to focus on "The Huntress" and while I did re-read it to try and get back into the groove, this damn idea popped into my head. Hopefully this is short and sweet and fluffy, so I can get back to my other fic.**

 **What you need to know for this particular one-shot is that everything in the "Sleepy Hollow" 'verse is A-OKAY!**

* * *

Joe Corbin is sitting on the porch swing outside of Abbie's home, grinning at Ichabod as the man hands over a mug of warm tea, the both of them waiting for Abbie to return from work.

"Thanks for this, Crane," Joe says as he sips the liquid.

"My pleasure, Mr. Corbin." Smiling, Ichabod takes a seat on one of the wooden chairs near the swing. "How fares your day, my friend?"

"Good. Real good," Joe answers. "Jenny's been caught up in a new relic she's found, so she'll be out of town for the next few days."

"And you chose not to accompany her?"

Joe shrugs. "I would have, but something's come up and she understood."

Ichabod quickly sets down his own cup of tea, he then leaning forward in his seat. "Are you well? Is yet another monster lurking about that we do not know of?"

"No! Nothing like that," Joe chuckles. "Just some family stuff. It's actually why I'm here," he clarifies. "I have a favor to ask of you and Abs."

"Family? I was unaware you had any left." Joe lightly grimaces and Ichabod's quick to apologize. "I'm sorry. I meant no offense."

"It's fine," Joe assures him. "It's my fault, really. I've never really talked about my cousin and I only just brought her up recently to Jenny when my cousin reached out to me."

Ichabod's brow furrows. "Is your cousin well then?"

Joe laughs. "Yeah, Crane, she's fine. Not everything I have to talk about to you or Abbie deals with monsters, man. Darcy, my cousin, just needs a place to crash for two days. Three days tops."

"Crash?" Ichabod frowns, but then comes to a realization on his own. "Oh! To stay. Spend the night, you mean."

"Yes. And since you and Abs have quite a nice little spare room.."

"Of course, of course," Ichabod quickly agrees. "I'm sure Miss Mills will say the same."

Smiling in response, Joe raises the mug up to his lips and drinks some more of his tea.

 **xXx**

Twenty minutes later, Abbie's pulling up to her home and parking in the driveway. She calls out a greeting to Joe and Crane, and tiredly stomps up the stairs to her porch only to plomp down in the available seat next to Joe on the swing. "Long day?" He muses.

She nods. "Long and boring. Where's my sister?" She then asks as she glances around and tries to peer through a window into her home.

"Out of town," he tells her. Ichabod suddenly gathers up his cup and Joe's mug, mumbling about making a fresh pot tea. Abbie and Joe watch him flee as if this conversation really needs any privacy, and the both of them huff a short laugh when Crane disappears inside. "Now that that's out of the way," Joe grins. "I have a favor to ask."

"Sure. Shoot."

"I, uh, I have a cousin." Abbie's eyebrows raise in surprise, but Joe plows right on. "I'll explain in a bit, I will, but I just wanna get this out of the way," he assures her. "My cousin is coming to stay a weekend with me, but the RV is too small and the nearest motel is too far, and given our town's history I want her near one of us."

"Joe," Abbie says, amusement lacing her tone and making him look her in the eye. "You're practically family now and if what you're hinting at what I think you're hinting at, then yes. She can stay the weekend here with Crane and I as long as you vouch for her."

"Yeah, of course!" He gulps and then sighs in relief. "Thanks, Abs. And yeah, Darcy's good. She's good people."

"Told you," Ichabod suddenly says, leaning his head out of the door frame and tossing Abbie a bottled water since she didn't really favor tea. "Now you two continue talking while I'll go prepare the room."

Abbie and Joe are still laughing when Crane disappears, Abbie then kicking off her boots and rearranging herself on the swing so one leg is tucked beneath her and her other foot is planted on the floor beneath them to help push the swing. "So tell me about this cousin of yours. Your dad never mentioned having any other family except for you."

Heaving a sigh, Joe leans back. "Yeah, well Dad was pretty ashamed," he frowns. "He had a sister who apparently wasn't right in the head. She got pregnant with my cousin Darcy and the pregnancy just seemed to make her even more odd than she already was."

"Odd how?"

"She talked a bunch of nonsense," Joe says. "Spoke a lot about aliens, according to my Dad, and then said her daughter was going to be best friends with not only an alien but a spider as well."

Abbie's lips twitch. "What?"

Joe chuckles. "Yeah. Dad said it was weird. Not our brand of weird, but _weird_ weird."

"Mhm. What happened to her then? Your aunt."

"Dad had her committed after one of her more unusual outbursts and she died during childbirth."

"Oh, Joe, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I was too young to remember her, anyway," he shrugs. "My cousin was placed into the system when Dad realized he couldn't take her in and we never knew who her father was, but the family she went to gladly kept Dad up to date with Darcy's life. Then when she was old enough, she took over correspondence herself."

"And you never brought her up before because..?"

"Because we lost touch for a little while," he says. "We got back in touch with one another before Dad passed, but she was in London when all that crazy stuff with that spaceship and Thor happened, and couldn't catch a flight back in time."

"This is totally bad timing, but wow. Lucky girl," Abbie smirks. "Did she at least get to meet Thor?"

Laughing, Joe shakes his head in amusement. "She says no, but she says that she did see him flying around. She gushes about the size of his arms. Says they're huge."

Abbie snorts. "I'll bet." A comfortable silence falls between them, but she's quick to squash it as she yawns. "But yeah, your cousin is welcome to stay the weekend."

"Thanks, Abs. I owe you one."

* * *

Darcy pulls up to a rather gorgeous, nearly pastel blue two-story home late one early Friday evening. She hadn't minded pitching a tent outside her cousin's RV, but he was adamant that she stay with his girlfriend's sister since she had the space to spare. And well, once she realized that there was an actual bed and not an air mattress waiting for her, she took him up on the offer and followed the directions that he had texted her.

Parking the metallic silver Audi R8 Coupe behind a small black SUV- because yes, Tony actually lent her the car when he realized she was just driving up to Sleepy Hollow- Darcy climbs out at the same time the front door of the house opens up.

Two people exit the home, a short black woman and a tall lean male. The woman has a beautiful dimpled smile as she waves and the man has a face full of scruff that has Darcy mentally scolding herself to not ogle the man.

"Hey, you must Darcy. Joe's cousin," the woman calls out. "I'm Abbie."

Darcy grins and sighs a little in relief at her friendly demeanor, she leaving her bags in the car in favor of walking up to the house and up the porch steps. "That's me. Thanks for having me. I hope I'm not intruding on anything," she says as she shakes Abbie's hand, her gaze then darting to the man at Abbie's back.

"You're not," Abbie assures her. "Crane's just my roommate, so you're good."

"Crane?" Darcy's eyebrow raises in question.

He steps forward then, smiling gently. "Ichabod Crane, ma'am. We're happy to have you at our home." He reaches forward as if to shake her hand, but when Darcy goes to grasp his hand, Ichabod grasps it gently and bends at the waist slightly to press a kiss to her knuckles.

"..oh."

Laughing, Abbie smacks Crane on the shoulder. "Crane's a real gentleman. I keep forgetting to warn him that not everyone is accustomed to such manners in this day and age."

"Yeah, no, he's good. You're good," Darcy then tells him. "Just caught me off guard is all. I have a friend with such.. manners, so it's not really that big of a shock," she laughs, thinking of Thor.

"Right, well, we have yet to have our evening meal, so while I go phone your cousin to inform him of your arrival, Lieutenant shall show you our collection of take-out menus to figure out what we shall feast on tonight."

As Crane takes his leave, Darcy turns to Abbie. "Lieutenant?"

"When I first met Crane, I was ranked Lieutenant with Westchester County. And even now that I'm with the FBI, he won't call me anything other than _Lieutenant._ "

Darcy grins. "Cute."

Abbie rolls her eyes in good humor, chuckling while gesturing Darcy inside. "Come on. Lets go find something to eat that will feed all four of us."

 **xXx**

Joe ends up showing just after their food from Sushi Thai Asian Fusion has been delivered, a six pack of beer in hand and a smile lighting up his features as he watches Darcy curiously watch Crane divvy out their food. Darcy actually squeals when she sees him, and Abbie and Ichabod can't hide their smiles at the little reunion.

The two cousins catch up with one another while including Abbie and Ichabod into the conversation, both cousins sharing tales from their lives (though unbeknownst to both parties, said tales are heavily edited to keep out the monsters and superheroes). Joe tells Darcy how he's somewhat of a treasure hunter now and she tells him that she's the assistant to a scientist, but it's really more like she's the assistant to _three_ with how she takes care of that one particular floor her main scientist works on.

Abbie then leads Darcy into telling her anything she remembers of Joe from when she was little and luckily for everyone but Joe, Uncle August had mentioned a few stories of teenager Joe that had Abbie in stitches and Crane hiding his smile behind a mug of tea to show some form of solidarity with his fellow male.

Full, happy and sleepy, Joe bids farewell to his cousin and friends, and takes a cab back home. Abbie and Crane help Darcy lug her bags into the house and upstairs to the guest room, and then Abbie's helping her settle in and showing her where the bathroom is and where her own room is should Darcy need anything.

Then after thanking Abbie once more for hosting her, Darcy gets ready for bed.

* * *

The following morning, Darcy dresses in a white tank top with Cap's shield on the front and slim fit jeans with a couple holes along the front of her thighs. She remains in socks because she finds it disrespectful to walk around in shoes around one's living space, and finds Abbie and Ichabod moving about the kitchen and preparing breakfast.

Joe joins them for the meal and afterwards, he takes Darcy to explore the sleepy little town and to catch up even more, specifically about August and the months that led up to his death. She also learns about Jenny and about her cousin's relationship with the woman, and wonders just what Ichabod and Abbie actually are because they seem _more_ than just roommates. Joe laughs, but assures her they're just friends. For now.

Darcy treats her cousin to lunch, including her two hosts back at the house when she learns they're having a relaxing day at home. They arrive with sub sandwiches, chips, drinks and a vegetable platter with ranch dressing for dipping, and they enjoy their lunch inside before moving outside to enjoy the cold chill on the front porch.

 **xXx**

"..and I swear, to this day, I've never seen Crane fly out of a seat faster than he did that day," Abbie laughs.

Darcy's giggling next to the woman on the porch swing, her boots kicked off and knees as close to her chest as possible with her arms wrapped around her legs. Crane's sitting on one of the available wooden chairs and Joe's opted for the ground with his back against the porch railing.

"Well excuse me for not being accustomed to the bold and brash women of the twenty first century," Crane huffs. "In my day-" He cuts off with a kick to his shin, he frowning down at Joe who's eyes are widened and keep darting to his cousin. Realizing his words, Crane gulps and chances a look at the woman he's impishly grinning at him.

"In your day, huh? Something tells me you're older than you look, Ichabod."

"Well, you see-"

"I mean, I was willing to overlook your speech pattern because _manners._ Duh. I know some people have them, but-"

"But?" Abbie muses.

"The clothes," Darcy says. "The tunic, the wool pants tucked into the boots. It's all so.. strange. I've seen _stranger_ , mind you, but something is just nagging me about this whole situation." Ichabod, Joe and Abbie remain silent, and only Abbie is the one who has a thoughtful little grin tilting the corner of her lips upward. "Seriously, guys, what's going on? You could've fought harder and just told me I was crazy, but you gave up pretty quickly. What am I missing?"

Joe glances at Abbie and then at Ichabod, eyes pleading, and it's Ichabod who clears his throat and faces Darcy head on. "I'm only telling you because you're Mr. Corbin's only family." He pauses for a moment, just long enough for Darcy to recognize the seriousness of the situation and she sits up straighter while planting her feet on the porch floor. "My name is Ichabod Crane.. and I died in 1781. My wife, at the time and unbeknownst to me, was a practicing witch who cursed myself into limbo until I would be needed. I was then resurrected in 2013 and since then, the Lieutenant and I have been battling forces of evil that threaten to take over this world."

Silence lingers after Ichabod's little speech, Darcy's eyes having widened, but not so much as to show just how shocked she is. But Darcy quickly recovers, even as Joe groans and curses Crane for being so blunt, and then Darcy is turning to Abbie and gently elbowing her. "Ha. You have a man out of time and I have a man out time. Such a weird coincidence, right?"

Abbie snorts, but it's Joe who says, "Wait, what?"

"You heard me," Darcy smirks. Then glancing down, she opens up her jacket even more and flashes them the shield on the front of her shirt. "Steve Rogers is a troll. Don't let the history books fool you."

"WHAT?!"

"What?" Darcy snorts, feigning innocence. "I thought it was secret time? I mean, Ichabod spilled a pretty heavy secret, so I spilled mine. I have a pretty good bullshit detector and he," she continues to say while gesturing at Crane. "-seemed sincere, not to mention the fact you looked terrified for a split second when I looked at you," she then says to her cousin. "And also, you're family.

"I can't exactly go around telling everyone I know the Avengers on a pretty intimate level, but you're my family, Joe, and these people are your family as well. I won't lie to you, and in the case Ichabod really was just playing me.. well then whoops! Yes, I know the Avengers. Please don't spread it around."

Again silence, and again Joe breaks it. "You're lying."

"I am not!" As quick as she can, Darcy digs into the pockets of her jacket for her phone. She quickly pulls it out and unlocks it, and then unlocks her photo vault- thank you, Tony, for being such a paranoid bastard- and hands the phone over to Abbie who's leaning a lot closer than she was previously. "Slide through the album. You'll see." Joe scrambles up from his seat and leans as close as possible while Abbie angles the phone so he can see, too. And Crane, Crane just sits in his seat peacefully with a content smile in place as he waits his turn.

"Are you- are you arm wrestling _the Winter Soldier!_ "

Cheeks tinting pink, Darcy stammers. "I-I was drunk! He always makes it look so light," she frowns. "-and too much mead led me down a rather embarrassing path of drunken antics that night."

"Like fire dancing with- is that Tony Stark?" Abbie laughs.

"Like fire dancing with Tony Stark," Darcy grimaces. "I think I singed Thor's hair that night. Jane, his lady love, was not happy with me." Joe snorts and after flicking through the pictures, Darcy accepts her phone before passing it to Ichabod who accepts it with a grateful nod. "Don't let their world-saving antics fool you. They're all a bunch of children at heart when the suits come off and boredom sets in."

"This is so cool," Joe muses, disbelief clear in the expression of his face. "My cousin knows the Avengers."

"Yeah, well, you know the oldest human man alive," she retorts. "What's the whole story with that, by the way?"

Back in possession of her phone, Darcy pockets it and then listens to the tale that Ichabod, Abbie and Joe tell her of monsters and witnesses. Darcy's obviously gobsmacked that true evil- evil that doesn't come from outer space actually exists- and is even more shocked when she learns her cousin turned into a Wendigo, but that he wasn't so far gone and they had managed to turn him back. And although that darkness still lurks deep within him, Joe's okay.

"So.. wow," Darcy breathes. "That's really.. awful."

"Understatement," Abbie mutters. Cracking a grin, Darcy finally chuckles. "And in your words, please don't spread it around."

"Yeah, no," she's quick to nod. "Secret's safe with me. But you guys know you don't have to do this alone, right? The Avengers deal with weird on a monthly basis. If you ever find yourself needing assistance, we're just a call away."

"We thank you for your kindness," Ichabod says. "But this is our fight."

The man looks so guilt-ridden, yet determined, and Darcy can only smile in response. Silence falls upon them, a rather comfortable one now that secrets are out in the open, and everyone soaks it in as they listen to the neighborhood sounds.

Then finally, Abbie speaks. "I don't- I don't mean to bring the mood down or anything, but something's been on my mind ever since I started looking through your pictures on your phone."

"Yeah? Shoot." Darcy angles her body towards Abbie, grinning so that woman knows it's okay to say what's on her mind.

"It's just- I don't know what you know of your mother, but was it possible she was a seer?"

Darcy's grin falters. "Why do you say that?"

"I'm sorry for bringing this up, but Joe mentioned something your mother said to her brother after she found out she was pregnant- something that actually makes a whole lot of sense now."

"Joe?" Darcy gulps and glances at her cousin.

"It's, uh, she said- she said that one day you'd be best friends with an alien and with a spider. And well, given who your friends are-"

"..a Norse God of Thunder and the Black Widow," Darcy murmurs. "Thor and Natasha." She blinks rapidly to clear the sudden blurriness of her eyes, and clears her throat of the sudden lump of emotion lodged there. "Well, isn't today just full of surprises."

 **xXx**

After many apologies on Abbie's behalf and assurances that everything was truly fine on Darcy's, the foursome head on inside for a fruit snack before dinner time. Darcy's phone pings in the middle of her telling what she gets up to when she's not babysitting scientists, and she excuses herself when she sees the name lighting up her screen.

The text message is from Steve and Darcy can't help smiling when she sees what he's asking. Then turning towards her cousin and hosts, she sighs and sheepishly smiles at them while re-joining them from where they were gathered around the kitchen table. "So I know it's impolite to ask you guys of anything since I'm a guest here and all, but would it be okay if my friend stopped by for like.. a half hour or so? It's just that the city is grating on his last nerve and he needs an escape, and he'd like to meet my family."

"Of course," Abbie happily agrees.

As Darcy shoots a text back, she says, "Thank you. Normally I wouldn't have asked, but the poor guy never seemed to catch a break the past several years and now that he finally has, the boredom makes him.. twitchy. But he's a good guy, I swear it!"

"Darcy," Joe huffs a laugh. "Abbie said yes. You don't have butter her up or anything."

Cheeks turning pink, Darcy sheepishly grins. "Sorry. But, uh, yeah. Should we head outside? He's actually about to drive into town. The punk apparently had good faith that you'd say yes."

"He knew to come here?" Joe frowns. "How?"

"Tracker is my guess." As she says this, Darcy holds up her right wrist and jingles the charm bracelet tied there. "Tony got paranoid after my second kidnapping."

"K-kidnapping?!" Joe splutters. "Did you just say- did she just say-" He splutters again, glancing at Abbie and Ichabod to confirm what his cousin's just said.

"She did." Ichabod smothers a grin. "Care to explain, Miss Lewis?"

Mouth agape and staring, Darcy's quick to gather her wits and snorts. "Why is it that all the old men in my life are trolls?" Abbie laughs as Crane squawks, but Joe is still dead serious. Sighing, she explains. "Knowing the Avengers like I do, it paints a target on one's back. The first kidnapping was because they wanted information on Jane's work, and the second was because some low-profile HYDRA assholes wanted their asset back, but I was not about to give up Bucky to them."

"HYDRA?" Abbie perks up. "Did they-"

"A few bumps and bruises," Darcy nods. "But I healed, got a fancy little tracker, and am taking defense lessons from both the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow."

"Jesus." Joe steps up to his cousin and wraps her up in a hug, breathing deeply and pressing a surprisingly firm kiss to her temple. "If Dad were still alive, you'd be giving him a heart attack."

Darcy returns the embrace and chuckles, but any words that might have slipped from her mouth are stalled by a rumbling engine that sounds like it's out front. "M'friend's here."

"That was fast. Shall we go greet him?" Ichabod then leads the group outside, holding the front door open for everyone as they gather on the porch.

Steve sits on his bike down by the sidewalk, unzipping his jacket and pushing down the kickstand to his bike as he stands.

"Is that- did I just invite Captain America over to my house?!" Abbie hisses, staring at Darcy in shock and going speechless after.

"He prefers Steve when he's not suited up, but yeah," Darcy laughs. "You did."


	22. Hitman: Agent 47

**Author's Note: Excuse the butchering of these fabulous characters.**

* * *

Looking back to a time before they'd made final decisions about where they were going to spend a week for vacation, Darcy realizes what a mistake it was to let their guards down so greatly. Especially at one of Tony's pronounced private islands, which was really only a small part of said island that still housed several hundred locals on the other side. (Seriously, they needed to learn their lesson that anything including Tony Stark was never _safe_ ).

The Avengers and their plus ones had planned to enjoy the day on their expansive piece of beach by cooking out and enjoying the waves, but Darcy knew better that today was going to be anything but fun. So being who she was, Darcy learned to trust her instincts and mentally thanked Queen Frigga that she had packed her weapons beneath all her clothes for a situation such as this.

Everyone had been getting ready for the beach, slipping into their trunks and bikinis; all but Darcy who claimed she had a headache and would meet everyone outside within an hour after she'd taken some medicine. And while everyone went outside, Darcy locked herself away in her room and sat on the edge of her bed. Breathing deeply, she centered herself and listened to what her _senses_ were telling her.

Darcy sat for several minutes, letting her mind run wild with possible scenarios of what can happen. Then coming to the realization that there was no way around it, Darcy had opened up her suitcase and dug out a black vest gun holster. She slipped it on, tightening it as tight as it would go over her shoulders before slipping in two black .45's at the small of her back. Her hair is pulled up into a tight ponytail, and a baggy purple and pink plaid shirt went on over the holster to hide it (she was very thankful her second shirt hid the holster perfectly well), and Darcy tightened the laces on her boots so they wouldn't fall off.

And when she had joined the others outside, it was to the boo's from the men and Pepper wondering why Darcy had opted for a shirt and shorts instead of a swimsuit. But at her tight-lipped smile, Jane had swooped in and dragged off Darcy to the side. The two of them had only had several minutes to chat in hushed whispers about what was going on before several helicopters flew overhead before circling back and hovering. And while everyone had put all their attention on the air crafts- Tony scoffing about goddamn paparazzi- no one saw the numerous men swarming from inside and around the house, and demanding everyone to their knees with rifles pointed at all of them.

With the minimum of grumbling, Darcy lowers to her knees just behind Bucky who'd stepped in front of her, and next to Jane who had stepped up behind Thor. Pepper is grabbed up fairly quickly, she struggling the entire way even as Tony's thunderous voice threatens to kill each and every one of them. A gun is placed at Pepper's temple and Tony's quick to quiet down.

A white man steps forward, smug grin in place and dark eyes drinking in the sight of the Avengers on their knees in a half circle. "If Thor so much as twitches a finger for his hammer, a bullet goes in her pretty little skull," he says with a slight German accent as he points at Pepper. "If the Winter Soldier's arm so much as whirs or Doctor Banner turns green around the gills, a bullet will go in her skull. If _anyone_ so much as flexes a muscle, a bullet will go in her skull. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Tony spits.

"We're here for one thing and one thing only, so it'd be in your best interest to cooperate. We're here for the asset." The man's gaze lingers in one direction and all eyes turn to Bucky who's already sighing in resignation. There's literally too many men with guns and even if the Avengers managed to try and defend themselves, there's no telling what would happen to Pepper, Jane or Darcy who aren't exactly trained as everyone else is. At least, not to their knowledge.

"Bucky is not an asset and he won't be going anywhere." Steve glares at who everyone supposes is the leader, the man's mustache twitching in his amusement as several of his goons chuckle at Steve's words.

"Soldat?" Mustache chuckles as he glances at Bucky. "No. We do not seek the man with a broken mind," he claims. "We are here for the daughter of Katia van Dees and granddaughter of the great Piotr Litvenko. With the blood of _quatre-vingt-onze,_ we shall restart the Agent Project and create agents even greater than your Captain," he then sneers in Steve's direction.

"Then you should've researched better," Tony says through clenched teeth. "Natasha was a Romanova, not van Dees or whoever the hell you're looking for."

"Fools. Are you truly that ignorant that you did not check the backgrounds of those you hold near and dear?" Jane whimpers just loud enough for Thor and Bucky to hear and stiffen, and as Bucky subtly peers over his shoulder at Jane he sees as her eyes quickly dart to the right where Darcy is kneeling behind him. As the usually talkative brunette quietly shushes her friend's worry, dread fills Bucky's stomach and he tenses even further when he feels her small hands clutch the part of the shirt at the small of his back. "Stand up, agent 91, or your friends will die one by one until you realize we mean business."

Audibly gulping, Darcy's hands move up to Bucky's shoulders and uses them to shakily push herself to her feet while glaring at the now smirking asshole who's outed her in the worst possible way. "You might have gotten past Mama and 47, but you know they'll only be one step behind you."

"Yes, which is why we plan to be in the air and away from the area as soon as possible," the leader proudly states as a majority of the weapons are trained on her now. "Come now, 91, and your friends will be spared."

She can hear the shocked mutterings of her friends and refuses to meet anyone's stare. "My name is Darcy and quite frankly, I'm calling bullshit. You'll kill my friends as soon as I'm out of the way."

Mustache's lips thin, his gaze going hard. "Quatre-vingt-onze, move. _Now!_ "

"Uh, Darce," Clint calls out. "Now's not the time to piss off the guys who have us at a severe disadvantage right now."

"And why not?" She confidently side-steps Bucky, taking a few more steps forward and slowly strips out of her plaid shirt as several goons shift uncomfortably at her boldness. At the sight of the .45's at her back, Clint swears but no one brings any more attention to them. "They know I won't go so willingly and besides.. I had to buy some time for Mama and 47 to get into position."

As if possible, the beach goes even quieter than before. Even the crashing waves and hovering air crafts have seemed to quiet down, and several gunmen swear in a couple different languages as they scan the area for the new threat. But when there are no assassins suddenly appearing from thin air or a spray of bullets that usually accompanies agent 47 and Katia, the leader of the little kidnapping faction huffs and turns his gaze back on Darcy.

"Cute, _Darya_ , but I think it is I who shall now call bull-"

He's cut off by a spray of blood coating the left side of his face, he turning just in time to see his companion holding Pepper go down with a hole blown into the side of his head. A split second later he, too, goes down by a bullet between the eyes. An explosion sounds overhead and the Avengers are shocked to find one of the hovering helicopters nothing but a ball of fire falling into the ocean as the others flee.

Pepper screams as she drops to her knees and time seems to slow as Darcy reaches back for her weapons when the goons seem distracted enough by trying to find the snipers. She pops off round after round, each bullet hitting true and dropping one goon after the other with a head shot. She fires as she strides forward, dropping to one knee and momentarily confusing the other gunmen as she changes angles.

Once she runs out of bullets, Darcy tosses her guns and swivels on one knee while kicking out with the other. She falls alarmingly easy into a chaotic pattern of kicks and groin shots with closed fists, she then grasping the muzzle of one rifle that's too close for comfort and using it to pull herself up. She punches the gunman in the solar plexus repeatedly until he's groaning, then throat punches him and twists around him to use him as a human shield. Several other goons around her fall with bullet holes in their foreheads, and Darcy grasps another in a headlock before confiscating one of the glocks at his waist to put two bullets in his head.

Blood spattered and barely panting with exhaustion, Darcy hardly feels a bullet grazing her bicep, but she does feel it and quickly finds the one to blame and shoots him in the face without even blinking.

Gunfire ceases and the only noise left is that of the ocean and Pepper sobbing. Stunned, the Avengers stumble around the dead bodies and Darcy's shocked out of her stupor when a small body's crashing into her. The gun drops from Darcy's hand as Jane squeezes her in a hug, and Darcy hisses in pain when Jane brushes against the graze on her arm.

"Darcy..?" Steve says, eyes wide as he takes in the destruction around him and sirens blare in the distance. "What..?"

"Darya!"

Everyone whirls around, Natasha and Bucky and Clint swooping up rifles from the ground and pointing it at the new additions. A woman is running towards them, a gun in hand but it's not aimed at anyone. The bald man walking behind her, however, has a gleaming silver handgun pointed at Bucky as he nears. And it's only when the woman nears that she finally comes to a stop, her own gun finally coming up and taking aim at Natasha as the redhead steps in front of Darcy and Jane.

"Stop," Darcy finally speaks. "Nat, stand down." No one moves and tension mounts, and Darcy trudges to the side to have everyone in her view. "Everybody!" She yells. "Put your weapons down. Mama. Uncle," Darcy then says as she glances between the woman and bald man. "They're family. Bruce, please calm down. The last thing we need is you going green."

Bruce jerkily nods as he takes deep calming breaths, and it's Clint who finally addresses the situation at hand. "This is your mom?!" He yelps. "But she- she doesn't even look a day over thirty!"

The woman in question cracks a faint grin, her gun disappearing behind her back and into the waistband of her jeans after seeing her daughter at ease with these people. "Thank you. You can thank my father for our barely aging tendencies," she says while gesturing between herself and the bald guy. "I'm Katia and that's agent 47."

The man continues to walk forward, he looking every bit out of place what with his crisp suit and vibrant red tie. He steps up to Darcy, gently grasping her arm and turning it here and there to study the wound on her bicep. "Sloppy," he says.

"Hello to you, too, Uncle," Darcy chuckles.

"You're slacking with your training."

"I tried to separate myself from our life back home. That was the point of coming here, was it not?" She asks with a slight head tilt as he continues to study every inch of her. Darcy rolls her eyes before closing the space between them and wraps him in a brief hug, a hug which he does not return. "I missed you, too, 47."

As she steps back, he merely grunts in reply and then Katia's there to wrap her daughter in a hug while fussing over her. Slipping into their native tongue, Bucky and Natasha keep a close eye on them as the others watch on as the mother/daughter duo speak back and forth, and Tony soothes Pepper.

After much squabbling, Steve clears his throat until he garners the women's attention. Sheepishly smiling, Darcy gulps "Uh, so I think now is the time for an explanation."

"Damn straight, kid, but first I need to take care of the police and get a clean-up crew out here." Tony squeezes Pepper closer into his side, he leading her up the beach and towards their home.

 **xXx**

Inside, Katia and Darcy had disappeared into one of the bathrooms to clean Darcy up while agent 47 stood guard outside the door. They'd only managed to clean up all the blood before walking out side-by-side, Bucky then surprisingly steering Darcy into the living room to patch up her bicep. Katia sat next to her daughter and 47 stood behind them, and Steve politely asked for answers.

Katia explained first and then Darcy, all the while agent 47 remained stoic and quiet the entire time.

The Avengers learn that Darcy Lewis doesn't truly exist, but _Darya van Dees_ does. They learn that after a severe threat developed far too quickly for her mother and Uncle to take care of, Katia did what she could and put Darya on a plane to the United States to start over.

Her mother and Uncle (who's not really her uncle, but just another unfortunate soul that had been programmed in the Agent Project) are genetically enhanced super soldiers created by Piotr Litvenko. Piotr had been a skilled Russian geneticist who created _agents_ without emotion, fear or remorse, but had a crisis of conscience and disappeared before the Agent Project's completion back in 1967 and took all his work with him so no one could follow in his footsteps.

Katia had been left behind with barely any memories of who Piotr truly was, she then seeking him out when she was old enough which then led her to uncover just who Piotr truly was, as well as agent 47.

After her father was killed, Katia and 47 stuck close. And while 47 didn't have normal human emotions, Katia did which is how she broke her one rule of never being attracted to anyone and had a one night stand which resulted in the conception of Darya.

Darya then grew up with the fiercest mother and Uncle no one would ever truly know. Given their history, Katia and agent 47 knew Darya would have to know how to defend herself, and taught her to hone her apparently enhanced skills that had been passed down from mother to daughter.

Darya had then become agent 91, the last of the agents.

"So let me get this straight," Tony muses. "You two knew?" He asks, pointing between Thor and Jane. "This whole time?!"

"Aye," Thor agrees.

"But not to this extent," Jane quickly clarifies. "Darcy was- Darcy. She was just an average college kid until-"

"Until the lab in New Mexico was attacked after SHIELD packed up and left, and we were packing for London," Darcy finishes.

Jane frowns at the memory. "Yeah. Darcy had managed to lock me in one of the back rooms after promising that I wouldn't make a peep. There was a bunch of grunting and moaning and fighting sounds, and then there was the gunfire. It turned quiet after that, too quiet, and when I couldn't stand it anymore I stepped out from the safety of the room and made it back to the front of the showroom.

"Darcy stood bloodied and there were seven bodies littering the floor."

"I remember that call." Clint suddenly perks up, staring at Darcy and grinning. "Sitwell thought it was pure dumb luck, but Fury figured something was up. He just couldn't prove it."

"I'm really good at covering my tracks," Darcy impishly grins.

The room goes quiet and then Clint's fist pumping and whooping in delight. "Yes! Team Assassin is officially back in the lead."

"What? No!" Tony shouts.

"Uh huh. Four assassins to three Scientists, Stark! We win."

"But- but- we got Cho! Four to four. We're tied again."

But Clint's already shaking his head. "As much as we all love Cho, she's not part of the Tower. But if you're gonna push it, then we're still in the lead by adding Darcy's mother and uncle."

Tony gapes and flounders for something to say, but Pepper merely pats his leg with a chuckle. Leaning into her daughter's side, Katia says, "They're good with unusual, but what exactly are they talking about?"

"Don't worry about it," Darcy says. "Tony and Clint are always trying to one up each other, and they're always trying to see who has a better _team._ Team Assassin was in the lead with three people until Jane decided to play along and then Team Science tied it up, but now that I've been outed and they know who my family is, Clint's decided to add us under Team Assassin. It's childish and means absolutely nothing, but hilarious when Tony gets bent out of shape."

"Uh, excuse you! I do not get bent out of shape."

"I see," Katia smiles. Then studying her daughter as she looks out over her gathered friends who barely even raised an eyebrow about her past, the elder woman comes to a conclusion. "You trust them."

"With my life," Darcy answers without missing a beat. "In case you haven't noticed, they barely batted an eye after finding out about me."

"Good." Standing, Katia's presence practically demands attention- attention which is easily given. "The threat to my family will never be over, not as long as those men in the helicopters still breathe. Agent 47 and I will gladly hunt them down, but I'm afraid I have a favor to ask. More importantly, it's a favor from you, Doctor Banner."

Bruce jerks to attention, eyes bugging behind his glasses. "M-me?"

"Yes." Katia smiles kindly. "My father was a brilliant man and kept lots of journals about his work. Now while no one can re-create the Agent Project without the exact formula that my father never wrote down, there is still a lot in his journals that I would not trust in the hands of those I do not trust. I want you to keep an eye on these journals while I'm away."

"Y-you trust me?"

"My daughter trusts you and I trust my daughter," Katia says.

"I'm sure a woman of your talents has safe houses all around the world." Natasha leans forward in her seat on the couch, her forearms resting on her knees as her hands clasp in front of her. "Why do you want Banner to look over his work?"

"Yes, I have safe houses, but they're empty. I rather leave my father's work in capable hands than have it collecting dust somewhere that anyone can stumble upon it. And besides, I believe it will be a great read for minds just like Doctor Banner's and whoever he deems trustworthy."

Looking at Bruce now, the scientist gives a jerky nod. "Of course. I'll keep them safe."

Katia claps once. "Wonderful." Then turning to Darcy, Katia points. "And you, daughter of mine, when your uncle and I get back, I expect you to fight better."

"Mama," Darcy sighs. "I fight well already."

"Not well enough," agent 47 states.

"Hey, don't bring the kid down," Tony defends Darcy. "She fought pretty damn good out there to me."

"She's fought better," Katia informs him. "Better than the last several generation of Widow's."

Everyone glances at Natasha- the redhead who's eyeing Darcy and Katia with respect. "The Red Room tried replicating Piotr's formula when the serum they were used to using starting killing off the girls. I had the privilege of meeting an Agent that the Red Room captured, but he refused to teach the girls and was not susceptible to their form of brainwashing. He was killed."

Clint, Tony and Steve are all surprised by Natasha's answer, and it's Clint who asks Katia, "So are you telling me that Darcy fights better than the Black Widow?"

"I could be," the woman in question answers and the room is shocked silent as Natasha smirks. "..surprise!" Darcy then sheepishly flashes them a guilty smile.

"Holy shit. When we get back to the tower, I expect to see a sparring match." Clint's glancing between Natasha and Darcy, and the brunette shrugs.

"I guess. With Mama and Uncle knowing where I'll be now, they'll be checking up on me and if I'm not up to their standards.. well, lets just say I rather train under Natasha and Bucky combined than them."

"Excellent."

* * *

 **So in this ficlet, Natasha enters the Red Room after 1967. I think I've read somewhere that Natasha is a lot older than she appears because of a serum, but for the sake of this ficlet there is no serum.**

 **Natasha nearly got the same training as we've seen from agent 47, Katia and Darcy, but she's not as strong as 47 or Katia since the Widows were not "programmed". Darcy gets a leg up over Natasha because she's had the privilege of being trained by the best of the best while Natasha didn't.**


	23. Underworld

**Author's Note: Timelines are so screwed up, not even I know what year it is or how any of this is possible. So shh! Just go with the flow.**

 **For you** _ **Underworld**_ **fans, Darcy is "Eve" (Michael and Selene's daughter). She's all grown up now, having done hit that age where she won't age anymore.**

* * *

Darcy's sitting in front of a bank of computers, in the safety of the quinjet as the Avengers raid the latest HYDRA compound. Fingers fly over the keys and keen eyes keep watch of the various camera views as she clicks through them to make sure there are no threats sneaking up on her friends. Nothing unusual pops up on screen, so Darcy gives her friends the go-ahead to continue.

"All clear from what I can see. Don't have too much fun."

" _Copy that, little wolf,_ " Clint says over comms. He and Natasha are two of the few who know of Darcy's secret, and two of the few who easily accepted her for what she was besides Jane and Thor. The nickname raised a few questions, but Clint had managed to throw everyone off by spinning a tale of drunken antics and drunken howling in the middle of the New Mexico desert at what Darcy thought were coyotes. No one questioned it, especially when Natasha added to their tale by changing Darcy's ringtone in her phone to a pack of howling wolves. " _Stay safe out there. Don't lower the ramp for just anyone._ "

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry it up and get back here, Hawkass."

Bucky chuckles over comms and Darcy grins at making the man do so since he hasn't had much good in his life for quite some time. She's then busy paying attention and clicking through different camera views, eyeing some rather familiar claw marks marring the stone walls.

She had one particular reason- two, really- when joining the Avengers on these type of missions; one being so she can keep an eye on her new family and two being so she could continue searching for her parents. Clint and Natasha understood and gladly helped her when possible, but it's in this moment as she's distracted by the claw marks that she misses the visuals she's getting from the Avengers and the fact that they've found two running cryo-chambers.

" _Aw, shit,_ " Tony curses.

Darcy finally glances towards the bank of computers that are labeled for each Avenger seeing as they're wearing cameras so she has a visual feed from each one, and she glances first at Tony's feed. She sees the cryo-chambers, but it's Steve and Bucky's rigid forms that have her worried- Steve who looks rather gobsmacked and Bucky who looks livid with his rifle up and aimed. The reasons for these raids were to dismantle HYDRA once and for all, but to also help Bucky cope after everything HYDRA'S put him through by letting him let out his anger in destroying any chairs or chambers such as the ones he's staring at.

"Uh, guys?" Darcy says. "What's the hold up?" Because while the sight of the cryo-chambers is a little unsettling, Bucky's still frozen in place and not ripping the chambers apart like he usually does when he sets eyes on one.

" _There's people inside,_ " Natasha answers.

"Well that's a first. Does Buck recognize them or something?"

" _No,_ " Barnes states.

"Well then what's the hold up? Clear the frost so I can start facial recognition."

Natasha's camera feed moves forward and Darcy watches on screen as a gloved hand wipes away condensation. The glass is frosted around the edges, but the face beneath is easily view-able after a few minutes. " _Female,_ " the redhead states and Darcy gasps, eyes wide at what she's seeing.

" _I got a male over here,_ " Steve then says and Darcy quickly glances at his camera feed to see what he's seeing. Sure enough, Darcy quickly realizes that her eyes are not paying a trick on her and a choked off sob escapes past her lips.

" _Little wolf? You okay there,_ " Clint asks.

"It's them," Darcy mumbles. "It's **them** , Hawkeye," she says with more conviction. "Don't touch 'em. I'm coming in." Static erupts in her ear as several of the Avengers try talking over each other, all of them telling her to stay put, but Darcy pays them no mind. Instead, she rushes to the opposite wall and presses in a quick code, a small refrigerator opening up and showcasing the various blood bags they keep in there in case of emergencies. "I really hope none of you get injured while we're out here. I'm taking all the blood."

" _WHAT?! WHY?_ " Tony demands, but again Darcy pays him no mind.

Finding a small cooler, Darcy quickly readjusts the temperature and sets it to _heating_ instead of _cooling,_ and places several bags inside. She grabs one for herself, uncaring for the coolness of it and rips off one corner before chugging the entire bag. She has a feeling she's going to need her strength for today.

The Avengers are still trying to persuade her to remain in the quinjet- Tony, Steve, Bruce, and Bucky; Clint and Natasha being the only ones remaining quiet- but Darcy is hearing none of it.

" _Seriously, kid, Thor and Jane will kill us if anything happens to you. Stay put._ "

"Jane and Thor can kiss it for leaving me behind while they went on vacation to Asgard."

" _Come on, little wolf, listen to Stark. These can be more people like me. More Winter Soldiers._ "

Darcy pauses in strapping a bullet proof vest around her upper torso, lips pulling down into a frown. "They're not," she answers blandly. "They're way more dangerous which is why I'm needed in there."

There's another rush of voices over comms, but the ramp is already lowering and Darcy jumps out before it can fully lower with the cooler's handle gripped tight in hand. Then quickly pressing a few hidden buttons on the outside of the jet, the ramp raises and locks itself so no uninvited guests can enter. Making sure there's nothing out of the ordinary outside- because just how in the world did her parents end up here in a HYDRA base?- Darcy runs inside and follows the noises to her friends.

When she makes it to the stone room and strides up to the cryo-chambers without even glancing at Steve, Bucky, Bruce or Tony, Darcy nods at Clint and pushes the cooler in his hand. She barely glances at her frozen father and she lingers greatly on the face of her mother in the chamber next to his- her hair still the raven locks cut at chin length.

"What the hell is going on?" Tony asks, face plate sliding up. "And why do you think you need to be here if they're more dangerous than the goddamn Winter Soldier?!"

"Because they'll definitely attack you once they're woken up and mine is the only face that will give them pause. Well.. _she'll_ pause and hear us out. I haven't officially met him yet, so I don't know how he'll react," Darcy then says while gesturing at the frozen male.

"Darce," Clint gulps. "Tell them."

"Tell us what exactly?" Steve frowns. Bucky shifts nervously next to him.

Turning around, Darcy sighs. "These are my parents Selene and Michael. They're.. different. _I'm_ different," she says. "I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you sooner, but whatever you're about to see, don't shoot. Them _or_ me." Whirling back around, Darcy walks around the chamber holding her mother and finding it's source of power, she grips the wires and rips them- cutting it's power.

"Darcy, no!" Bruce shuffles forward. "You can't wake her by just thawing her. She'll die without being woken correctly."

"She woke perfectly fine the first time I did this. She'll be hungry, though, so Clint better be prepared with those blood bags if no one wants to be fed on." Standing back in front of the chamber, Darcy grips the handle and pulls. It's locked tightly, possibly password protected, but her mother is just inches away from her so she pulls with all her might. Grunting, metal creaks and then the door opens with a crack and _whoosh!_ of air.

"That's not normal, is it?" Bucky can be heard asking.

Inside the chamber, the cloud of cold air slowly vanishes and Clint mutters, "Holy naked woman, Batman."

Darcy and Natasha snort, and the brunette immediately asks, "Nat, can you find clothes for them? A blanket or something."

They all stand around just watching and it's literally less than three minutes before the frozen woman starts moving. As Tony and Bruce mumble about it all being impossible, Darcy steps forward and gently brushes her mother's cheek.

Eyes snap open and nearly everyone startles at the luminous sky blue eyes darting over each and every face. As her lips part, sharp fangs are barely visible, but they're visible nonetheless.

"Mom," Darcy says. "Mom, look at me. Don't mind them, they're good people."

The frozen raven haired beauty stares at Darcy hesitantly, then shakily steps out of the cold chamber while slightly curling in on herself and crossing an arm over her bare chest. "..Eve?"

"It's Darcy now," she grins.

"You're so grown."

Darcy shrugs. "I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner. It's been a while. Take a look." She then offers up her wrist to her mother, pushing up the sleeve of her long sleeve to bare her wrist. "Go ahead." Glancing at the others at Darcy's back one last time, Selene steps forward and grasps her daughter's wrist. Her eyes seem to shine brighter and as she opens her mouth wider before sinking her fangs into delicate flesh, Darcy holds her free hand up to stall her friends from coming any closer. As Selene drinks, Darcy explains. "Our memories run through our blood. By drinking, mom's seeing everything I've seen and done."

"What.. the.. fuck."

"Vampire, Stark," Darcy smirks. "Mom's a vampire. Death Dealer, really. Or Vampire assassin. However you want to think of it."

Selene pulls back with a gasp, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes are no longer glowing, but they're still an eerie shade of blue. "It really is you." Darcy nods and in the blink of an eye, Darcy and her still very naked mother are clinging to each other.

"Sorry to interrupt this lovely moment, but this is the only outfit I found." The mother and daughter duo separate, and Natasha stands there with a pair of boots and a leather catsuit.

"This is mine." Selene nods her thanks while Bruce cautiously calls out for Darcy.

Looking at the scientist, Darcy grins at him to let him know he has her attention. "I have an extra pair of pants for your father if you think that's okay."

"That's perfect, Bruce. Thank you." At the mention of Darcy's father, Selene's head snaps up and Darcy points out the second chamber. "We're waking him next," she then tells her mother.

Bruce shakes off the bag from his back, zipping it open and pulling out the extra pair of stretch pants that he usually wears on these missions. Normally Hulk would already be strutting about, but when they realized the compound had been empty, Bruce stayed in control until the big guy was absolutely needed.

As Selene dresses, Darcy works on cutting the power to the second chamber and pulling open the door.

"Wait a sec." Tony looks between Selene and Darcy, eyes wild. "If she's a vampire, then what's your father? How does a vampire having a baby even work?"

"Dad's a hybrid," Darcy smirks. "Half vampire, half lycan, but stronger than both."

"And you?!"

"I'm-"

"A tri-blood hybrid," Selene answers as she finishes dressing with a small sigh. Clint passes over a bag of heated blood and Selene grins in thanks before looking back to Tony Stark and her daughter. "The vampire and lycan strain run through your blood, but also the original Corvinus strain as well. You'll be stronger than even your father given the proper training."

Gobsmacked- _because, really! Darcy only thought she was a regular hybrid like her father_ \- Darcy completely misses her father waking. A snarl reverberates around the stone room and the whole team tenses, but Selene's there in front of the waking man within a split second. Her hands are on his cheeks, making his completely black eyes stare into her blue as she soothes him. Eventually his mouth full of sharp teeth dull into normal human teeth, and then Selene's pulling him out of the chamber while Darcy hands over the pants for him to wear.

"Michael," Selene says after a moment. "-there's someone I think you need to meet."

"I know."

"..you know?"

"Yeah," the suddenly tired man smiles and accepts a blood bag from an overly cautious Clint. "I saw you and her, our daughter, before the explosions happened. It was weird," he confesses.

"It takes some getting used to," Darcy says and smiles when her father stares at her. "I don't know how it's possible, but I can see through your and mom's eyes, and you mine."

Michael stares at her, completely in awe, and then he's moving and hugging her as if she's made of stone. Darcy cries, laughing all the while, and then makes her parents eat to gather their strength back. Tony, Steve, Bucky and Bruce watch on warily, but Clint and Natasha easily stand guard of the little family and practically challenge their friends to do something.

It's only after Michael's pulled on the borrowed pants and shaking the ice crystals from his hair does the howling start. Everyone in the room tenses and Selene hisses as she searches for the threat, but it's Darcy who practically snarls in anger. "Impossible! We scanned the base and around it. There were no heat signatures here to indicate werewolves on the premises."

Tony's face plate has slid up, his mechanical voice telling them, "Hidden tunnels shrouded by tech could have fooled us. Whatever it was, it concealed lots of these.. werewolves. We're pretty much surrounded," he says as he glances all around them.

"It was a trap," Selene muses.

"A very stupid trap," Darcy growls. "They'll lose."

The howls get louder, and Steve and Bucky immediately go back to back. Steve brings up his shield as if bracing himself for a fight and Bucky raises his rifle while scoping out any threats that can emerge from the various doorways around the room.

Michael's already shifted, the paleness of skin now a dark blue-grey and fingertips elongated into claws. Several of his blunt teeth have sharpened to points, his eyes are pitch black, and his nose and mouth seem to have turned snout-like- all signs of a half-lycan. Selene's eyes are glowing a luminous blue once more, her fangs are sharpened in her mouth and a hand is reaching out for a handgun that Natasha has offered up since the howls have turned numerous.

Darcy's slowly turning in a circle, glowering as she realizes that there are cave-like tunnels even high above them in the walls. "They're coming from everywhere. Keep your eyes high and low."

"Sonnuvabitch," Clint grumbles. Nocking an arrow, he takes position at Nat's back and aims high.

From one slow circle to the next, Darcy shifts as well. Her skin a shade paler than her father's, her fingertips have turned into claws, and the whites of her eyes are pitch black while the irises of her eyes are vampiric blue. Her eyes are a dead giveaway about how truly different she is, not to mention her transformation because while her father looks animalistic like a lycan should, Darcy seems almost normal if it weren't for her skin color and eyes. Her teeth, as well, are different because all her teeth are still blunt except for two sharp canines on her bottom jaw.

Bruce sheds his shirt just as the howls turn into roars and several lycans rush into the room, and the Hulk roars right back while jumping high and swatting down every other lycan he comes across. Clint looses arrow after arrow, Bucky and Selene pop off bullet round after bullet round, Tony releases energy blast after energy blast and Steve lets his shield fly.

Darcy and Michael roar simultaneously, the both of them launching themselves at the lycans closest to them. Darcy continues to growl threateningly as she swipes her claws, her lack of training making her attack sloppy, but her rage making her deadly. She lands a tremendous kick to one lycan's knee, the bone crunching beneath her boot and sends it kneeling. Then launching herself into the air and twisting so she lands on it's back, she yanks it's top jaw open with one hand while her other pushes down it's bottom jaw, and with all her strength she tears the top half of the lycan's head completely off.

She roars her rage once more, two more lycans falling by her hands when she sinks her claws into their eyes and rips out a chunk from their jugulars. Any slashes she received in return heal up almost instantaneously, she barely tires at all as she watches on as lycan after lycan fall at the hands of her parents or the Avengers. A small part of her mourns the fact that so many are dying, but a bigger part of her knows that it's either them or her family.

Three lycans in particular eye Natasha and Clint when Nat's reloading, and surprisingly both Michael and Darcy catch it. They meet up side-by-side, barely sizing each other up, and they come up on the sides of the Black Widow and Hawkeye to roar something fierce. The three fully shifted lycans pauses to glance between Darcy and Michael, but it's Darcy they settle on and it's Darcy they take a step back from.

"Huh," Clint huffs. "Looks like they figured out who the alpha here is."

She takes a step back as the sounds of fighting still go on around her and walks to the center of the room, then bending at the knees Darcy lets the most heart-stopping roar tear from her throat. The lycans all pause in their attack, as do the Avengers- including the Hulk who drops from the walls with a huff- and they all stare at Darcy.

Growling and turning in a slow circle once more to stare each and every lycan left standing in the eye, Darcy continues to growl and practically dares any one of them to challenge her. She lastly catches her father's gaze, growling at him and he only stands down when Selene appears at his back and places a hand on his shoulder. He then steps back, bowing his head and Darcy turns her attention elsewhere.

Seeking out the smallest lycan possible, Darcy strides up to it. Her clawed hands grip the metal color around it's throat, yanking it apart with her bare hands and tosses it to the ground. And when she whirls around, her odd skin color has disappeared and she nearly looks human once again were it not for the glowing blue irises.

"We are not their animals to chain up," she snarls now that she's not fully shifted. "You can be _their slaves_ or you can join me and _be lycans!_ "

A second ticks by and then the lycans are all roaring as one. Those standing tall on two legs fall back to all fours to make themselves less threatening, and Darcy finally turns to face her family with a sheepish shrug.

"Oh man," Tony sighs as he lands on his two feet and the Iron Man face plate slides up. "Pepper's gonna be pissed with all these strays."

* * *

It takes a while to get over twenty lycans back to Stark Tower since only a handful managed to shift back into their human form, but they do manage it and Tony puts them up in furnished cells below Stark Tower for the time being. Pepper is more shocked than pissed when she sees Darcy walk off the quinjet covered in blood and she understands right away that something is up when Darcy introduces her to her parents.

They clean up and get their hands on whatever food they can while all congregating on the Common Floor where Darcy's promised them all a rundown of her family history.

"So how exactly old are you?" Tony asks. Pepper gasps and smacks Tony upside the head, but Selene merely smiles.

"I was born in the late fourteenth century. A man named Viktor slaughtered my entire family in the middle of the night and then blamed it on the lycans. He offered me a chance of revenge and I took it thinking he was telling me the truth. But, of course, I learned the truth hundreds of years later and helped turn Michael into what he is today after slaughtering those who knew the truth behind my family's murders."

"We've kind of been on the run ever since," Michael confesses. "At least we were until the government figured out our existence and started to eradicate our kind, and we somehow ended up on the ice instead of dying. I'm guessing that's where Darcy was born when they caught us."

"It was," Darcy frowns. "I was born in captivity and told both my parents were dead when I was old enough to understand. I lived through numerous of tests, starvation, and beatings. It wasn't until I was twelve that they let their guard slip and mentioned that I'd be dying soon, and that my mother next door would never even know I'd existed." She takes a pause as Michael growls, he having to scrunch his eyes close and force the shift back down. "After that, I broke myself and mom out. We reunited, fought off more lycans and government officials, and then searched for Dad when we figured out that he was still alive as well."

"We weren't more than fifty yards away from reuniting once more when explosions rocked the building we were in," Selene recalls.

"And then I woke up alone to both my parents gone yet again," Darcy finishes. "I looked for weeks before all my leads ran cold and decided to change my appearance some since I was still being looked for as well. A vampire friend helped out and I somehow managed to live my life as normal as can be while keeping an ear to the ground for any word about people like me."

"So, wait one second," Steve interrupts. "How did Barton and Romanoff come to know your secret?"

Darcy grins as Clint pouts, but it's Clint who answers anyway. "Coulson had left me to watch over Darce and Jane in New Mexico after Thor split back to Asgard. There's only one convenient store in town and I found it odd that Darcy was driving away from the store and further into the desert one night, so I followed her and got one hell of a scare."

Darcy's giggling and now Natasha's smirking. "Jane apparently showed up like a bat out of hell in rusted up truck- Clint's words, not mine- and whacked him with a rolled up piece of newspaper repeatedly."

"She told him he had no business following me and since it was the full moon, he got one hell of a shock when he peered in through the windows and saw me transform."

"Foster vouched for her and since I had already befriended the two of them, I didn't want to mess up that fragile connection," Clint says as he shrugs. "Jane pleaded to keep Darcy off of SHIELD's radar and I did, but I told Nat because well.. she's my partner."

"I see," Tony drawls. Looking back to the little family of three, he eyes them up before asking, "And what do you plan to do now?"

Darcy shrugs. "Right now I have to stay put and see whether or not the lycans can be rehabilitated into functioning human beings. After that, it's up to mom and dad on where they want to go."

Selene and Michael shrug since apparently it's a new world outside with superheroes and aliens, and Tony's quick to put a stop to their wondering. "Yeah, well, mi casa is still su casa," he tells Darcy. "Just because you're a blood sucking fiend doesn't change my opinion about you. You're still family, kid, and I'd be stupid to kick you out."

"And my parents?"

"They can stay, too," Pepper smiles kindly. "We won't separate you after all this time, Darcy."

Looking up at Michael and Selene, her parents shrug and leave the decision to Darcy. "Well, if I can acclimate two super-soldiers to the twenty-first century, it shouldn't be too hard for a vampire and a hybrid."


End file.
